They fire three firefighters and sanction two more police officers for the death of Nichols 1:14
(CNN) --
As investigations into the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, in Memphis continue, public officials involved in the traffic stop and brutal confrontation face repercussions, some as Serious as murder charges, and there may be more consequences.
"We are investigating everyone who had any type of involvement in this incident," Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy told CNN days after the release of body camera and surveillance footage of the events. of January 7.
"We're looking at all of you."
Five black former police officers will be arraigned on February 17 after they were fired on January 20, then charged with seven counts each, manslaughter;
aggravated assault;
aggravated unlawful imprisonment with bodily harm;
aggravated unlawful imprisonment in possession of a deadly weapon;
misconduct by an official;
and repression of an official.
Two more officers, one white and one not yet publicly identified, who were placed on leave on Jan. 8 along with the others remain under internal investigation, police said.
The first police report on the case of Tire Nichols does not match what the videos of the fatal beating show
All of the fired officers and one still on leave were part of the force's SCORPION unit, created to address rising crime in the city and disbanded amid national outcry following Nichols' death, the department confirmed.
None of the previously fired officers had been disciplined for excessive force, though several had received written reprimands or short suspensions for violating department policies, their personnel files show.
Beyond the police, three Memphis Fire Department employees have been fired and two Shelby County Sheriff's Office deputies have been furloughed for their involvement in the case, leaders from those agencies said.
Tire Nichols' brother describes an "endless nightmare" as a prosecutor promises that all those involved in the fatal encounter will be investigated
Here's what we know so far about those involved:
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Tadarrius Bean
Tadarrius Bean.
Credit: Shelby County Criminal Justice System
Bean, 24, was released on $250,000 bail by Jan. 27, Shelby County jail records show.
His attorney did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment.
Bean joined the department as a recruit in August 2020 and was commissioned as an agent in January 2021, personnel records show.
He was transferred to the SCORPION unit in August.
There is no prior disciplinary action involving Bean in the personal files reviewed by CNN.
Demetrius Haley
Demetrius Haley.
Credit: Shelby County Criminal Justice System
Haley, 30, was released on $350,000 bail on January 27, jail records show.
His defense attorney did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment.
Haley joined the department as a recruit in August 2020 and was commissioned as an agent in January 2021, personnel records show.
He received a written reprimand in November 2021 for failing to document his role in the February arrest of a suspect who said she suffered a dislocated shoulder when she was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car by Haley and another officer.
Haley was not charged with excessive force;
the other officer received a sustained complaint of "excessive/unnecessary force" and resigned, internal police records show.
A supervisor at the time called Haley "a hard-working agent (who) routinely makes good decisions" and said he was "sure this was an isolated event," records show.
Prior to that, Haley had been a defendant in a 2016 federal civil lawsuit in which a Shelby County Correctional Center inmate claimed he was beaten and had his civil rights violated.
The lawsuit was dismissed, following a petition by Haley, records show.
CNN has reached out to Haley's lawyers in the lawsuit.
In the case, Haley was among three correctional officers who allegedly accused the plaintiff of trying to remove the contraband and took him to a bathroom to be searched, court records show.
"Haley and (a co-defendant) punched (plaintiff) in the face," the lawsuit states.
The inmate was then picked up and slammed head-on into a sink by a third correctional officer, then thrown to the ground, after which the inmate allegedly "passed out" and woke up in a medical unit, he claims.
Haley and another correctional officer acknowledged searching the inmate after they "observed smoke" and attempting to remove evidence, according to their motion to dismiss.
Haley denied the other allegations, according to the documents.
emmitt martin iii
Emmitt Martin III.
Credit: Shelby County Criminal Justice System
Martin, 30, was released on $350,000 bail by Jan. 27, jail records show.
He will plead not guilty, his attorney William Massey said on January 26.
"Justice means following the law, and the law says no one is guilty until a jury says they are guilty," Massey said, adding: "Nobody that night intended for Tire Nichols to die."
Martin joined the department in 2018, according to personnel files.
He received a three-day suspension without pay after a loaded revolver was found in the back of his patrol car in March 2019 after a shift transporting prisoners, records show.
And he got a one-day suspension without pay after failing to file a report on a domestic dispute in September 2020 after a plaintiff requested such a filing.
Martin also received general praise in performance reviews.
His performance in 2021 "exceeds expectations" in reliability, compatibility, work attitude and dealing with the public, personnel records show.
He "has good judgment" and "is a three-year agent who performs at the level of more mature seasoned agents," the files say.
Desmond Mills Jr.
Desmond Mills Jr. Credit: Shelby County Criminal Justice System
Mills, 32, was released on $250,000 bail on January 26, according to jail records.
He plans to plead not guilty, his lawyer Blake Ballin said on January 26.
Mills, formerly a correctional officer in Mississippi and Tennessee, is a "respectful father" who was "devastated" to be charged with Nichols' slaying, Ballin said, adding that the videos of Nichols' traffic stop "produced as many questions as answers. ".
"Some of the questions that remain will require a focus on the individual actions of Desmond Mills; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see when he arrived late on the scene; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see after he was sprayed pepper; and whether Desmond's actions crossed lines that other officers crossed during this incident," Ballin told CNN in a January 28 statement.
Mills "is sorry to be involved in something like this, to be involved in or connected to the death of someone whose life shouldn't have ended. That's devastating to him," Ballin told "CNN This Morning" on Jan. 27.
"Just because Mr. Mills was part of that system doesn't mean he can't also be a victim of it, so it's my job to protect him and his rights," she added.
"I urge everyone to look at this with an open mind and to treat each of these agents as individuals."
Mills joined the department as a recruit in March 2017, personnel files show.
He received a reprimand in 2019 for failing to file a form after using physical force during an arrest to drag a woman "to the ground so she could be handcuffed," records show.
Mills was "trying to help the other officers control the young woman," she said at a hearing, according to a summary.
In a separate hearing on handling equipment, Mills' supervisor described him as "energized and a hard worker" who had "learned his lesson" after dropping his personal digital assistant, records show.
Justin Smith
Justin Smith.
Credit: Shelby County Criminal Justice System
Smith, 28, was released on $250,000 bail on January 26, records show.
His attorney did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment.
Smith joined the department as a recruit in March 2018, personnel files show.
He received a two-day suspension without pay in July 2021 for a January traffic accident in which he struck a pickup truck with his unmarked police vehicle, causing it to spin and strike another car, according to a police report.
Smith and other drivers suffered minor injuries.
Preston Hemphill
Preston Hemphill.
Credit: Memphis Police Department
Hemphill remains in a "relieved of duty" status, along with an unnamed official, while an internal investigation continues, Memphis Police said in a Jan. 30 news release.
It is not clear if he is receiving a salary because police spokeswoman Kimberly Elder declined to say so.
"The actions and inactions of Agent Hemphill and the other agent have been and continue to be the subject of this investigation since its inception on January 8, 2023," the statement said.
Two other Memphis police officers and three firefighters fired after Tire Nichols' fatal beating
Hemphill was part of the now disbanded SCORPION unit, a source familiar with his assignment confirmed to CNN.
During Nichols' initial traffic stop, Hemphill fired a taser at the driver and, after Nichols fled the scene, said, "One of the prongs hit the c****n," footage from Nichols shows. the body camera released by the city.
He twice tells another agent, "I hope he gets his ass kicked."
Hemphill was "never present at the second scene," his attorney Lee Gerald said on January 30, adding that his client activated his body camera as required and "is cooperating with officials in this investigation."
The images do not show Hemphill at the second site, where the district attorney has said Nichols was beaten and suffered serious injuries.
Three members of the fire brigade
From left to right: Robert Long, left;
Ja Michael Sandridge;
and Lt. Michelle Whitaker have been fired from the Memphis Fire Department, the department said Monday.
(Credit: Memphis Fire Department)
The fire personnel fired for their response to the Nichols encounter are: EMTs Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker, the agency said Monday.
CNN reached out to all three.
Long had been with the agency since March 2020, while Sandridge was hired in September 2019 and Whitaker's tenure began in March 1998, he said.
The three responded on Jan. 7 to a report of "a person being pepper sprayed" and arrived on scene to find Nichols "handcuffed on the ground leaning against a police vehicle," Fire Chief Gina Sweat said in a statement. press release on January 30.
The fire department's investigation concluded that "the two EMTs responded based on the initial nature of the call ... and information told to them at the scene and failed to perform a proper assessment of the patient, Mr. Nichols," the fire department said. boss.
Whitaker had stayed in the fire truck, according to the statement.
After EMTs arrived and before an ambulance arrived, first responders repeatedly backed away from Nichols, with Nichols intermittently slumping on his side, surveillance camera video released Friday shows.
Two Fire Department employees had been placed on administrative leave pending investigation before being fired, official spokesperson Qwanesha Ward told CNN at the time.
Two Shelby County Sheriff's deputies
Two Shelby County Sheriff's Office deputies were placed on leave pending investigation after the sheriff viewed the video in Nichols' case on Jan. 27.
"Having seen the footage for the first time tonight, I am concerned about the two officers who appeared on the scene after the physical confrontation between police and Tire Nichols," Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement that day.
-- Nick Valencia, Mark Morales, Shimon Prokupecz, Nadia Romero, Jaide Timm-Garcia, Andy Rose, Eric Levenson, Melissa Alonso, Jamiel Lynch, Christina Maxouris, Nouran Salahieh, Curt Devine, Paul P. Murphy, Casey Tolan and Scott Glover CNN contributed to this report.
Tyre Nichols
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