Jury Unanimously Clears Three Ex-Cops of All State Charges in Killing of Black Man That Sparked Riots
A Tennessee court on Wednesday acquitted all state charges against the three policemen involved in the 2023 deadly beating of Tyre Nichols.
Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found not guilty of second-degree murder and all other state charges related to the death of Nichols, NBC News reported Wednesday.
After a nine-day trial in Memphis, it took jurors more than eight hours to reach a conclusion on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
The acquittal was unanimous, according to The New York Times.
Upon hearing the verdict, the three officers hugged each other and their lawyers.
But not everyone shared their sentiment.
“Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the civil rights attorneys representing Nichols’ family, said in a release. “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve. That brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted.”
Former officers Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin, who were also involved in the beating, pleaded guilty to federal charges, and they did not stand trial in state court because of deals made with prosecutors, according to Fox News.
But all five former officers, who are all black, are yet to be sentenced in federal court the week of June 16.
Camera footage showed what happened the night of the beating.
WARNING: The following video and post contain vulgar language and images that some readers may find offensive.
The Tyre Nichols footage is an execution. After initially escaping, Tyre is found in the street and held in place by officers while another repeatedly kicks, batons and stomps him in the head.
Thread. pic.twitter.com/1FlaHeyp2g
— Mises Caucus (@LPMisesCaucus) January 28, 2023
On Jan. 7, 2023, police in Memphis stopped Nichols, a black man, for “reckless driving.”
Body camera footage showed police struggling to keep Nichols on the ground, before they tasered and pepper sprayed him as he fled the scene.
Eventually catching up to him and once again struggling to arrest him, the three officers started beating and kicking Nichols as others joined in.
Other body camera footage showed police afterward discussing the incident.
WARNING: The following video and post contain vulgar language that some readers may find offensive.
After Memphis police cops fatally beat Tyre Nichols, one of the cops takes off his body camera as they laugh and describe the beating in detail.
“Man, I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog,” says one. pic.twitter.com/B3cftkUlBi
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews) January 29, 2023
Nichols died three days later, likely from blunt force trauma, according to another Fox News report citing the autopsy.
The body camera footage of the incident sparked riots across America.
All five of the officers were fired after the incident.
Former officers Bean, Haley, and Smith each faced a count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and official oppression, along with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of official misconduct, according to NBC News.
They were acquitted of all charges.
“Was I surprised that there wasn’t a single guilty verdict on any of the counts or any of the lesser included offenses, given the overwhelming evidence that I think that we presented? Yes, I was surprised,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy reacted, according to NBC News. “Do I have an explanation for it? No.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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