Former Memphis Police Officers on Trial for Beating Death of Tyre Nichols

Three former Memphis police officers are currently on trial for the beating death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old motorist who died three days after a violent encounter with law enforcement. Lt. Larnce Wright testified that the officers did not comply with departmental policies and training when they punched, kicked, and hit Nichols with a baton during a traffic stop in January 2023.

Jurors watched footage of the brutal attack captured by police pole cameras and body-worn cameras, which showed Nichols being repeatedly ordered to comply with officers’ commands while being subjected to excessive force. Wright emphasized that the officers should have used soft-hands tactics to handcuff Nichols instead of resorting to violence.

Prosecutors argued that the officers were punishing Nichols for fleeing a traffic stop and failed to intervene when his heart stopped. Defense attorneys claimed Nichols was not cooperating and fought back during the arrest.

Nichols, who was Black, died from head injuries sustained during the beating, which was ruled a homicide in the autopsy report. The five officers involved, all members of the disbanded Scorpion Unit crime suppression team, were fired for violating department policies and also face second-degree murder charges in state court.

Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, hopes for guilty verdicts in the federal trial and wants the world to know that her son was not the criminal he is being portrayed as. The trial is ongoing, with two former officers who pleaded guilty expected to testify against their former colleagues.