State Panel Decertifies 4 of 5 Police Officers Fired Over Death of Tyre Nichols
Share this @internewscast.com

Four of the five Memphis police officers fired from their jobs and charged with the killing of Tyre Nichols in January have now been barred from working in law enforcement in Tennessee.

The Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission met Thursday for hearings on the decertification of Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, and Justin Smith. On Friday, the panel voted to revoke the three former officers’ certifications, according to the Associated Press. They also approved the decision of a fourth officer, Desmond Mills, to voluntarily surrender his certification.

The fifth officer charged with the Nichols’ death, Tadarrius Bean, has not yet had his decertification hearing. Hearings have also not been held for two other department employees fired but not charged — Officer Preston Hemphill and an unnamed employee of the department — or for Dewayne Smith, the supervising lieutenant who arrived on the scene after Nichols had been beaten, kicked, handcuffed, and then ignored by first responders. Smith was allowed to retire with full benefits before he could be fired.

Memphis police requested that the seven named officers be decertified.

Three fire department employees were also fired.

All five of the former officers charged with second degree murder have pleaded not guilty. None of the former officers or their attorneys attended the hearings on Thursday or the vote on Friday.

Mills’ attorney, Blake Ballin, said it was “a waste of time” and that his client was “focusing on his freedom” after being wrongly indicted.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Nichols died in the hospital two days after members of the Memphis Police Department’s Scorpion Unit — which has since been disbanded — stopped his car for an alleged traffic violation, dragged him out of the vehicle while screaming obscenities at him, tased him, and then chased him into a neighborhood when he tried to get away. There, the officers pummeled him repeatedly. sprayed pepper spray in his face, hit him with a baton, kicked him, and then cuffed him and leaned the barely conscious 29-year-old amateur photographer against a car while they congratulated themselves on the take down.

The entire incident was captured by a police camera on a pole above the scene as well as the officers’ body camera.

The decertified officers have 30 days to appeal.

[Featured image: FILE – The screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Tyre Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards on January 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)]

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

ITV viewers point out Holly Willoughby’s statement mirrors The Morning Show 

Holly Willoughby‘s speech addressing the Phillip Schofield scandal on Monday’s This Morning…

Belgium investigating whether arms destined to defend Ukraine ended up in Russia fighting

BRUSSELS – Belgium is investigating whether weapons it sent to help Ukraine…

‘Careless’ Matt Hancock apologises in the Commons in lobbying row

Former health secretary Matt Hancock apologised to MPs after being found to have tried…

Capitol Police stopped a children’s choir from singing the anthem. Why?

Video of a children’s choir singing the national anthem in the U.S.…

‘He was born with the kindest soul’: Mother of Idaho Murder Victim Ethan Chapin Reflects on Son’s Legacy

The mother of Idaho murder victim Ethan Chapin is sharing her deeply…

Kathy Hilton Not Returning To ‘The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’ Season 13 After Two Seasons As A “Friend Of”

Kathy Hilton will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Beverly…

These Are The Different Prison Security Levels In The United States

The lowest prison category, “minimum,” sounds self-explanatory, but you may find it…

Where is ITV2's Love Island villa?

The villa has appeared on our screens for the last 10 years

CA Gov. Newsom Calls Florida Gov. DeSantis “Small, Pathetic Man” Amid Migrant Flight Probe

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron DeSantis California officials continue to hold…

Love Island's Molly Marsh's life off air – from famous mum to Doncaster roots

Molly has been in the Love Island villa before and has a…

Anna Shay Dies: ‘Bling Empire’ Star Was 62

Anna Shay, star of Netflix reality series Bling Empire, has died. Shay…

ADVERTORIAL: Sheffield academy celebrates latest Ofsted grading

E-ACT Parkwood Academy was rated good, with inspectors recognising its strong set…