20 more hours of video from arrest of Tyre Nichols to be released
The city of Memphis has completed its investigation into the arrest of Tyre Nichols — who died three days after being beaten by Memphis police officers — and an additional 20 hours of video pertaining to the arrest are set to be released Wednesday.
A seventh police officer has also been fired due to their involvement in the arrest, Memphis chief legal officer Jennifer Sink revealed Tuesday during a meeting with the Memphis City Council's Public Safety Committee.
In total, 13 officers had been facing some form of discipline related to Nichols' arrest, Sink said. Three of those officers were suspended, two had their charges dismissed and one resigned "in lieu of termination," Sink said.
In addition to the arrest footage, the city will also begin releasing information regarding the charges and disciplinary action taken against Memphis police and fire personnel as a result of the investigation, Sink said.
On the night of Jan. 7, Nichols, a Black man, was returning home when he was stopped by Memphis officers for reckless driving, the Memphis Police Department said at the time. Memphis Police Director Cerelyn "CJ" Davis later told CNN that investigators "have not been able to substantiate" the claim of reckless driving.
As officers approached Nichols to arrest him, a "confrontation" occurred, police initially said. Nichols then fled, which led to what police called a second "confrontation," which left Nichols hospitalized after the violent arrest. He died three days later of injuries sustained in a brutal beating that was seen in initial footage released on Jan. 27 by the city of Memphis.
Five former Memphis police officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression in connection with Nichols' death. Two other officers have been fired, along with three fire department personnel who responded to the scene. The five former officers have all pleaded not guilty.
The charged former officers were members of the department's SCORPION unit, a group created by the Memphis Police Department to tackle street crime. On Jan. 28, Memphis police announced that the SCORPION unit had been "permanently deactivated."
