According to a tweet from the Memphis Police Department’s official Twitter account, the department has fired five officers in relation to the death of Tyre Nichols, who passed suddenly in a hospital after being detained by police earlier this month.
Police chief Cerleyn “CJ” Davis said in a statement that the “egregious nature of this occurrence is not a reflection of the outstanding work our officers undertake, with integrity every day.”
The officers breached standards for use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to offer help, according to investigators working on an internal assessment of the arrest, the chief said.
According to a statement from their lawyers, the family of Nichols expressed their support for the terminations.
“We applaud the Department’s choice to fire the five officers who brutalized Tyre and eventually led to his death. We stand with Tyre’s family in this. Tyre and his family are now one step closer to receiving justice, according to attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci.
For depriving this guy of his life and robbing his son of a parent, they must also be held liable.
Whether the officers’ conduct were criminal in nature is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The organization that represents the cops stated, “Due to the current criminal investigation, the Memphis Police Association will not comment on the discharge of officers in the Tyre Nichols case.
“The people of Memphis, and more importantly, the family of Mr. Nichols, need to hear the full account of the circumstances surrounding his death and anything that may have led to it.”
The FBI and Justice Department have also launched a civil rights probe.
Police announced on January 8 that they had stopped a driver the day before for driving recklessly. According to a statement shared on social media by authorities, the suspect fled the scene on foot after an altercation with officers as they approached the car’s driver.
Police say that after pursuing the suspect and making another effort to arrest him, a new altercation took place before the suspect was finally taken into custody.
“Subsequently, the suspect reported feeling out of breath, at which point an ambulance was dispatched to the scene. According to investigators, the suspect was taken in severe condition to St. Francis Hospital.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the individual, who was ultimately identified as Nichols, passed away a few days later.
The nature of Nichols’ injuries or the reason for his passing have not been made public. CNN has made contact with the coroner of Shelby County.
City officials announced on Tuesday that the video captured by the officers’ body cameras would be made available to the public following the conclusion of the police department’s internal inquiry and after the family had an opportunity to watch the tapes.
The family will have the opportunity to view the tape “in the coming days,” according to Crump on Friday. A press conference has been scheduled for Monday afternoon by him and his family.