Multiple hours of police audio and video footage in the Tyre Nichols case is expected to be released Wednesday afternoon, following the indictments of five Memphis police officers in connection with his death.
Nichols was beaten, tased, and pepper-sprayed by the officers, who were initially conducting a traffic stop, on Jan. 7. He later died from his wounds, police said, on Jan. 10. Memphis released footage from that night in four parts, taken from street surveillance and police body camera footage.
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City of Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink said at a City Council meeting on Tuesday that about 20 hours of additional footage will be released. She said four Memphis Fire Department personnel and 13 Memphis Police Department personnel have been charged following administrative, not criminal, internal investigations.
Seven officers involved in the incident have been fired. Of the officers remaining under investigation, three have received suspensions, two have had charges dismissed, and one has resigned in lieu of termination, Sink said. Charges and disciplinary actions will be posted Wednesday with the footage, too.
Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith are charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, aggravated assault-act in concert, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Officer Preston Hemphill was fired in February, days after the footage was released. Another officer was suspended because he "did place hands on [Nichols's] legs," but it was not a strike or an assault, Sink said.
The additional footage's release comes on the same day the Justice Department announced it would review both specific policies within the Memphis Police Department and law enforcement's overall use of force and de-escalation policies. The review was requested by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis, per the DOJ.
"In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight, and accountability for such units," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said. "The [Community Oriented Policing Services] Office guide on specialized units will be a critical resource for law enforcement, mayors, and community members committed to effective community policing that respects the dignity of community members and keeps people safe."
Nichols's death gained nationwide attention and raised alarm among criminal justice activists who condemned the latest act of police brutality. The footage was compared to the 1991 police beating against Rodney King in Los Angeles.
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Davis had released a video statement ahead of the footage's release, calling the brutal attack a "failing of basic humanity."
“This incident was heinous, reckless, and inhumane, and in the vein of transparency, when the video is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves," Davis said.