The sixth Memphis police officer has been relieved of duty after the beating of Tire Nichols

A sixth officer has been ‘relieved of duty’ by Memphis police following the assault and death of Tire Nichols.

Preston Hemphill has been suspended and is on administrative leave, though it is unclear how he was involved in the January 7 arrest.

Hemphill, who joined the force in 2018, could face further charges after his suspension.

It comes after the Memphis district attorney said he cannot rule out pressing further charges against officers at the scene of the brutal beating of Tire Nichols.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed charges against five officers in the death of 29-year-old Nichols last week before releasing gruesome body camera footage of the assault.

Emmit Martin III, Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills were seen punching and kicking the FedEx driver as he lay on the ground after he was pepper sprayed in the face.

He can be heard screaming for his mother during the attack on January 7 with piercing screams, unchecked by any of the officers after he was hit with a baton.

Mulroy has now said other officers who arrived on the scene failed to take appropriate steps to ensure Nichols’ well-being, and further charges may be filed.

Since the images were released, questions have been raised about who was at the scene, but did not intervene.

The five officers have been charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.

Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies are under investigation and two members of the Memphis Fire Department have been relieved of their duties pending an investigation.

speaking to CNN Mulroy said: ‘We are going to need time to allow the investigation to progress into further consideration of the charges.

“But I will say this, nothing we did last Thursday with respect to the allegations prevents us from filing other charges later.”

There are certain things I cannot comment on regarding an investigation that is already underway and a prosecution pending.

‘What I can say is this, is that we are seeing everything. And nothing we did on Thursday, in filing charges against the five officers in which he was primarily involved, prevents any further action.

He added that the same charges were brought against all of the officers because “they all acted together” and their actions resulted in the death of Nichols.

Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were released from the Shelby County jail shortly after their arrest, according to court records.

The Memphis Police Department has policies that include a ‘duty to intervene’ if they see another officer ‘engaging in dangerous or criminal conduct or abusing a subject’.

They are also required to initiate ‘de-escalation’ and establish rules for a ‘continued use of force’.

The footage shows that the officers did not react responsibly and professionally to the situation, instead goading each other, with one officer even being heard saying, “I hope he gets stomped on his ass.”

Footage released by the city of Memphis shows Nichols being detained by officers with their firearms drawn.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis said other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two officers have been released without pay while their conduct is investigated. .

Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said the family “will continue to seek justice,” noting that several other officers failed to provide assistance, making them “just as guilty as the officers who threw the punches.”

The arrest was made by the so-called Escorpión unit, which has three teams of about 30 street officers who attack violent criminals in areas beset by high crime rates.

The unit has since disbanded.