MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A seventh police officer has been fired in the wake of the beating death of Tyre Nichols as city officials in Memphis say they plan to release some 20 more hours of audio and video material related to the case.
Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 10, three days after he was punched, kicked and beaten with a baton by Memphis police officers following a traffic stop.
According to Jennifer Sink, the city’s chief legal officer, of the 13 charged in Nichols’ death, seven have been fired, three officers were suspended, two had suspended charges, and one retired before they could be terminated.
According to Sink, along with the video footage, the charges and disciplinary decisions for each person involved in the incident will be released on Wednesday, ABC News reported.
The six officers that were directly involved the night of Nichols’ traffic stop - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith - were fired and have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges, ABC News reported.
The six officers were members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION Unit. According to the AP, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis at first defended the unit but later disbanded it.
A civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death has been opened by the United States Justice Department, the AP reported. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office also has an ongoing investigation.
