A Tennessee court announced on Wednesday that all state charges against three former police officers involved in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in 2023 have been dismissed.
Ex-officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were acquitted of second-degree murder and all related charges concerning Nichols’ death, as reported by NBC News.
After a nine-day trial in Memphis, the jury deliberated for over eight hours before reaching their decision on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
This verdict was unanimous, as noted by The New York Times.
Upon hearing the verdict, the three officers embraced their legal counsel in apparent relief. However, not everyone shared in their celebration.
“Today’s verdicts represent a profound miscarriage of justice,” lamented civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who represent Nichols’ family. “The world witnessed the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by those sworn to protect and serve. That inhumane act was captured on video, yet the responsible officers were acquitted.”
Two other former officers, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin, who were also implicated in the incident, opted for guilty pleas to federal charges, thus avoiding a state trial due to plea deals with prosecutors, as reported by Fox News. All five former officers, who are black, are awaiting sentencing in federal court scheduled for the week of June 16.
Video evidence captured the events leading up to and during the beating.
WARNING: The following video and post contain graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.
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 January 7, 2023, police in Memphis stopped Tyre Nichols, a black man, under the pretext of “reckless driving.” Body camera footage subsequently revealed officers struggling to detain Nichols before deploying a taser and pepper spray as he attempted to flee.
After catching up to him, the officers escalated their use of force, beating and kicking Nichols while others joined in the assault.
Additional body camera footage later showed officers casually discussing the incident.
WARNING: The following video and post contain graphic language that some viewers 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
Tyre Nichols succumbed to his injuries three days later, with blunt force trauma cited as the likely cause of death in an autopsy report, according to Fox News. The heart-wrenching footage ignited protests across the nation.
All five officers involved were terminated following the incident.
Former officers Bean, Haley, and Smith were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and official oppression, as well as multiple counts of aggravated kidnapping and official misconduct, according to NBC News. Their acquittal has left many questioning the integrity of the judicial process.
“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,” stated Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “Do I have an explanation for it? No.”
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal.
