Tyre Nichols Death: Sixth Memphis Officer Relieved Of Duty After Video Footage Is Released From Fatal Police Encounter
A spokesperson for the Memphis Police Department announced that a sixth officer has been relieved of duty in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Preston Hemphill, who was hired in 2018, was relieved on January 8 "at the beginning of their internal investigation."
He has not been charged with any crime at this time.
Nichols' life was tragically cut short after he was pulled over on January 7.
Five Black police officers from the Memphis P.D. repeatedly struck the 29-year-old during a traffic stop, resulting in his death three days later in the hospital after he experienced shortness of breath.
"I can confirm that I represent Memphis Police Officer Preston Hemphill who was the third officer at the initial stop of Mr. Nichols," the statement from attorney Lee Gerald read, noting video one was Hemphill's bodycam footage. "As per departmental regulations, Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam. He was never present at the second scene. He is cooperating with officials in this investigation."
Hemphill could allegedly be heard stating "I hope they stomp his a--" after Nichols escaped from MPD's initial confrontation, according to ABC24 Memphis.
RadarOnline.com can confirm that five police officers have been fired: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith.
"No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die," a rep for Martin III said.
They were each charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct, and oppression for the killing of Nichols, a father and FedEx worker described as a "good young man" who adored skateboarding, photography, and computers.
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Nichols' devastated family said the beating caused him to have a heart attack and kidney failure. Officials said a cause of death hasn't been determined.
Loved ones had shared photos of Nichols in the hospital, relying on a ventilator with his face bruised and swollen prior to his passing.
An attorney for Nichols' family described the video footage released as both "violent" and "heinous," comparing it to the beating of Rodney King.
The officers who stopped him were part of a group of specialized officers known as the SCORPION Unit, created to monitor neighborhoods to stop crime and violence.
Since the incident, the unit has been disbanded.
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