Memphis police dismiss 6th officer in Tyre Nichols case, local TV report
FILE PHOTO: An image is projected onto the facade of the Oakland Police Department during a protest against the fatal beating of Black motorist Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police officers, during a rally in Oakland, California, U.S. January 29, 2023. REUTERS/
(Reuters) -A sixth Memphis police officer has been dismissed from the force for his involvement in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, local media reported on Monday, days after video footage of the killing was released to the public.
The officer – identified as Preston Hemphill – was relieved of duty, News Channel 3 reported, citing the Memphis Police Department. No criminal charges have been announced against Hemphill.
The five other officers dismissed from the force have been charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression in the death of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was beaten by police after a traffic stop.
On Friday, the department released footage from body-worn cameras and a camera mounted on a utility pole showing officers kicking, punching and striking Nichols with a baton in his mother’s neighborhood after the Jan. 7 traffic stop. He was hospitalized and died of his injuries three days later.
The Memphis Police Department was not immediately available for comment.
