Officials said on Monday that three emergency responders and two more Memphis police officers had been dismissed and received disciplinary actions about Tyre Nichols

Officials said on Monday that three emergency responders and two more Memphis police officers had been dismissed and received disciplinary actions about Tyre Nichols' death. Seven police have now received discipline, including the five Black cops who were dismissed and accused of second-degree murder and other felonies in connection with the beating of Nichols and his death on January 10 last week.

According to numerous accounts, the white officer Preston Hemphill was terminated from his position and placed on what is known as administrative leave on Monday.

Later in the day, it was reported that another officer had also been fired, although it didn't name the individual or say what part they had in the incident.

Rudolph avoided answering questions about Hemphill's involvement in the fatal beating of Nichols or if he would face criminal charges in connection with the death, as have been the cases with several other officers. Rudolph, though, stated that "additional information will be released as it emerges" and that the investigation into Nichols' death was still ongoing. Police announced in a statement that all seven of the policemen had been dismissed from duty on January 8.

Also on Monday, fire department officials announced the firing of the emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge and Lt Michelle Whitaker in connection with Nichols’ death.

Firefighters were called by police to react to a report of a person who had been pepper sprayed, according to the fire chief, Gina Sweat. When they arrived, Nichols was handcuffed and leaning against a squad car. According to the statement, Long and Sandridge "failed to conduct an adequate patient evaluation of Mr. Nichols" based on the nature of the call and the information police provided them. Whitaker stayed inside the car with the driver.

An investigation determined that all three had violated “multiple” policies and protocols, the statement said.

According to Hemphill's attorney Lee Gerald, Hemphill was not present when Nichols was attacked but was the third officer at a traffic check that came before the violent arrest.

According to the statement from Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, "We have requested from the beginning that the Memphis police department be forthright with the family and the community - this news seems to imply that they haven't raised to the occasion." It certainly raises the question of why the white cop involved in this vicious attack was sheltered and protected from the public eye and, up until this point, from adequate censure and accountability.

News of the additional officers’ removal comes as calls for changes to American policing intensify after Nichols’ death.

60 members of Congress have requested a meeting with the president this week, according to the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Steven Horsford, to "push for negotiations on much-needed national reforms to our justice system, specifically the actions and conduct of our law enforcement."

The request to Biden came as protests sparked by Nichols' death persisted in Memphis over the weekend. Biden has urged Congress to adopt police reforms.

Nichols, a Black man, passed away on January 10—three days after Memphis police attacked him following a traffic encounter. Nichols, 29, was reportedly driving home after taking a sunset photo, according to his parents, who had been invited to Biden's State of the Union address on 7 February.

Video footage released by Memphis officials last week showed officers kicking and punching Nichols and hitting him with a baton.

Following the assault, five Memphis police officers were dismissed, and they have subsequently been accused of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression.

Democratic congressman from Nevada, Horsford, stated that "no one in our country should dread engaging with the police officers who serve our various communities, large and small." "We all desire safety.

To contact law enforcement officers, however, many Black and Brown individuals as well as many young people generally are understandably terrified.

To address the public health crisis of police violence, which disproportionately affects many of our communities, Horsford stated, "We are asking our colleagues in the House and Senate to jumpstart negotiations right once.

Tyre Nichols' violent beating constituted murder, and it serves as a somber reminder that there is still more to be done to address systemic police violence in America.

Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, stated on Sunday that Congress could enact more stringent law enforcement measures like "screening, training, accreditation, to up the game so that the people who have this responsibility to keep us safe really are stable and professionally approaching this."

Law enforcement primarily falls under the jurisdiction of states, rather than the federal government. But Durbin said that they should not “absolve” Congress from acting.

What we witnessed in Memphis' streets, he says, "was just awful and horrific." "I don't know what sparked this anger in these police officers to the point that they would take pride in beating a man to death. However, it is exactly what occurred.

Crump urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Sunday as well.

The legislation, which was created in response to the murder of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, would outlaw chokeholds, establish national police standards ostensibly to increase accountability, and change qualified immunity, which exempts police officers from civil liability for misconduct.

“We are going to need time to allow the investigation to go forward and further consideration of charges,” Mulroy said.

According to a New York Times investigation, cops pummeled Nichols after giving him hundreds of "contradictory and unrealistic demands" during the traffic stop. Police shouted at least 71 commands in the 13 minutes between stopping Nichols and putting him in prison, according to the Times.

The Times reported that "officers ordered Mr. Nichols to display his hands even as they were holding his hands." "Even though he was already on the ground, they commanded him to get down. Even though they had power over his body, they told him to adjust his position.

Based on all these analyses, I think since the case has been handled by the police, the case is settled already, and guess what, there won't be any trouble in this matter anymore. 

Tyre Nichols’ death: seven officers have been removed from duty, police confirm

1 Comment