Memphis Police Department

Memphis police use excessive force and discriminate against Black people, the DOJ finds

12:51pm December 05, 2024

A Justice Department investigation launched after the beating death of Tyre Nichols in 2023 found that "Memphis police officers regularly violate the rights of the people they are sworn to serve."

Candles spell out the name of Tyre Nichols during a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of his death, Jan. 7, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn.

National

Newly released recordings reveal what officers said after Tyre Nichols' fatal beating

2:47pm January 31, 2024

by The Associated Press

About 21 hours of newly released video and audio are revealing more about what first responders in Memphis, Tenn., did and said the night Nichols was pulled over and mortally injured.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis speaks to the city council as Mayor Paul Young stands behind her at city hall on Tuesday.

National

Memphis committee recommends replacing police chief, 1 year after Tyre Nichols death

6:11pm January 09, 2024

by The Associated Press

A Memphis City Council committee voted to replace Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis a year after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five officers generated intense criticism of her department.

This combo of images provided by the Memphis Police Department shows officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and bottom row from left, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. The five former officers are now facing federal civil rights charges in the beating death of Tyre Nichols as they continue to fight second-degree murder charges in state courts arising from the killing.

National

5 former Memphis officers are indicted on federal charges for death of Tyre Nichols

4:53pm September 12, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The five former police officers face charges of excessive force, deliberate indifference and witness tampering for the January death of the 29-year-old Nichols.

National

Memphis Police pressured to change culture after high-profile killings and beatings

10:07am September 12, 2023

by Debbie Elliott

After the beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers in January and other abuses that have come to light, the police department is under mounting pressure to change its culture.

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A patch of the Memphis Police Department pictured on May 18, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn.

DOJ launches an investigation into Memphis and the city's police department

3:37pm July 27, 2023

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Justice Department said its investigation will focus on the Memphis Police Department's use of force, its stops and arrests and whether the department engages in discriminatory policing.

The medical examiner's official autopsy report for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols showed he "died of brain injuries from blunt force trauma," according to the Shelby County, Tenn., District Attorney's Office. Here, the screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards on Jan. 28.

National

Tyre Nichols' autopsy reveals brain injuries from blunt force trauma, attorneys say

8:15pm May 03, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The family of Tyre Nichols and their attorneys were briefed on his official autopsy results Wednesday, nearly four months after his death.

A photo of Tyre Nichols is positioned prior to a press conference on Jan. 27 in Memphis, Tenn. Attorneys representing Nichols' family announced plans to file a civil lawsuit against the city of Memphis, Memphis Police Department, and individual officers for the 29-year-old's January death.

National

Tyre Nichols' family sues the Memphis police force, the officers and the city

1:08pm April 19, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The lawsuit compared Nichols' fatal police beating to the 1955 killing of Emmett Till, saying the 29-year-old suffered a beating "endured at hands of a modern-day lynch mob."

This combination of images provided by the Memphis Police Department shows (from left) former police officers Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. A Tennessee commission voted to decertify Haley, Martin and Smith. Mills surrendered his certification.

National

4 ex-Memphis police officers charged with Tyre Nichols' murder have been decertified

1:57pm March 24, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

Decertification hearings for others investigated in his death are pending. Decertification prevents officers from going to work in the same jurisdiction. They can still get police jobs out of state.

The Memphis police supervisor on scene when Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by officers retired with his benefits the day before a hearing to fire him, according to newly released documents. Here in this image from video released and partially redacted by the city of Memphis, Tenn., Tyre Nichols lies on the ground during a brutal attack by Memphis Police officers, Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis.

National

A police officer in the Tyre Nichols case retired with benefits. That's not unusual

5:01am March 23, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

Lt. DeWayne Smith served as a supervisor on the now-deactivated SCORPION unit — the specialized police unit responsible for conducting the traffic stop that ultimately lead to Nichols' death.