Key takeaways:
- Five former Memphis police officers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
- The officers had been on the job for a couple of years to no more than six years, with some of them being part of a new anti-violence unit.
- The body camera footage has sparked outrage in the Memphis community, with many calling for justice for Nichols and an end to police brutality.
Five former Memphis police officers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
On Friday, Memphis police released body camera footage from the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, a Black man who died three days after officers beat and pepper-sprayed him. The footage shows officers demanding that Nichols get out of a car following a questionable traffic stop of the unarmed man. Nichols can be heard shouting “I didn’t do anything” as officers approach him with guns pointed at him. Officers can also be heard shouting multiple obscenities at Nichols during the arrest.
The five officers involved in the arrest have been fired. Two of them had been on the job for a couple of years, and the others no more than six years. Some of the officers had been part of a new anti-violence unit called SCORPION, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods.
The body camera footage has sparked outrage in the Memphis community, with many calling for justice for Nichols and an end to police brutality. The case is currently being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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