MEMPHIS — A Memphis police officer allegedly texted a photo of Tyre Nichols after the beating to at least five people.
Memphis Police Department said in a document — which was released Tuesday by the state and obtained by The New York Times — that a Memphis Police Officer took a picture of Nichols after the beating of him propped up against a police car with handcuffs on. The photo was reportedly sent to at least five people.
The document was reportedly sent to the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission as a request last month for “the regulatory agency to decertify five officers involved in the beating,” according to the newspaper. The five officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. Decertifying the officers would make the fired officers unable and ineligible to work as police officers in the state of Tennessee.
One of the five officers, Demetrius Haley, reportedly admitted to sending a photograph to at least five people including two fellow officers, a civilian employee of the Memphis police department, and a woman acquaintance, according to the Times. This information was in the documents as well which also said a sixth person also received the photo.
According to the newspaper, the Memphis Police Department has a policy that prohibits officers from using personal cell phones during patrol duties that include driving a police car, handling phone calls for service, or conducting traffic stops. The documents alleged that Haley used a personal phone.
Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after officials said officers beat him during a traffic stop a few blocks from his family’s home. An independent autopsy determined that the 29-year-old died from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” WHBQ reported.
A sixth Memphis police officer was fired, according to WHBQ. No information about whether charges will be brought against that former officer has been announced.
Earlier in the day Tuesday, Memphis city officials said that seven more Memphis police officers may face discipline in connection to Nichols’ death last month.
At a city council meeting on Tuesday, city attorney Jennifer Sink said that a total of 13 officers could face discipline connected with Nichols’ death. Officers are expected to be notified about alleged department policy violations by the end of the week, with hearings following next week and written decisions coming after that, Sink said.
