We also don't breathe out of our asses. That does, however, explain the stench.
Tyre Nichols
- Thread starter Tecumsehsbones
- Start date
Wow... no comments on Blackie's racism? Shocked, I tell you.
Tyre. Ty-ree.
Sorry you are that base that you can't respect a dead person's name.
But then you don't know how to respect anything; nice to see you haven't changed a bit, Blackie.
England and the US aren't actually races. I realize this kind of thing seriously confuses you on the left, but that's not how 'race' works.
we know. We've all heard the media reports and such. It was humour.
ROFLMAO - sure kiddo. HE'S the one with a respect problem.
If that's the case you two should be married.
Sixth Memphis cop fired after beating death of Tyre Nichols
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonathan Mattise
Published Feb 03, 2023 • 4 minute read
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, including complying with rules surrounding the deployment of a stun gun, officials said.
Preston Hemphill had previously been suspended as he was investigated for his role in the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died three days later. Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death.
Hemphill was the third officer at a traffic stop that preceded the violent arrest but was not where Nichols was beaten.
On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he stunned Nichols and declaring, “I hope they stomp his ass.”
Also Friday, a Tennessee board suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care.
The suspensions of EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge build on efforts by authorities to hold officers and other first responders accountable for the violence against Nichols, who was Black. Six Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges. One other officer has been suspended. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into the attack that was captured on video.
Three fire department employees were fired after Nichols died. Former fire department Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee let go, but her license was not considered for suspension Friday. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols’ beating Jan. 7. He died Jan. 10.
Emergency Medical Services Board member Jeff Beaman said during Friday’s emergency meeting that there may have been other licensed personnel on scene — including a supervisor — who could have prevented the situation that led to the death of Nichols. Beaman said he hopes the board addresses those in the future.
Matt Gibbs, an attorney for the state Department of Health, said the two suspensions were “not final disposition of this entire matter.”
Board members watched 19 minutes of surveillance video that showed Long and Sandridge as they failed to care for Nichols, who couldn’t stay seated upright against the side of the vehicle, laying prone on the ground multiple times. They also considered an affidavit by the Memphis Fire Department’s EMS deputy chief.
“The (state) Department (of Health) alleges that neither Mr. Sandridge nor Mr. Long engaged in emergency care and treatment to patient T.N., who was clearly in distress during the 19 minute period,” Gibbs said.
Board member Sullivan Smith said it was “obvious to even a lay person” that Nichols “was in terrible distress and needed help.”
“And they failed to provide that help,” Smith said. “They were his best shot, and they failed to help.”
Fire Chief Gina Sweat has said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When the workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed on the ground and slumped against a squad car, the statement said.
Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, “failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,” the statement said.
There was no immediate response to a voicemail seeking comment left at a number listed for Long. A person who answered a phone call to a number listed for Sandridge declined to comment on the board’s decision.
An ambulance was called, and it arrived at 8:55 p.m., the statement said. An emergency unit cared for Nichols and left for a hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., which was 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, officials said.
An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, the statement said, adding that “their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department.”
Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother.
Six of the officers involved were part of the so-called Scorpion unit, which targeted violent criminals in high-crime areas. Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said after the video’s release that the unit has been disbanded.
The killing led to renewed public discussion of how police forces can treat Black citizens with excessive violence, regardless of the race of both the police officers and those being policed.
At Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday, calls for reform and justice were interwoven with grief over the loss of a man remembered as a son, a sibling, a father and a passionate photographer and skateboarder.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonathan Mattise
Published Feb 03, 2023 • 4 minute read
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, including complying with rules surrounding the deployment of a stun gun, officials said.
Preston Hemphill had previously been suspended as he was investigated for his role in the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died three days later. Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death.
Hemphill was the third officer at a traffic stop that preceded the violent arrest but was not where Nichols was beaten.
On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he stunned Nichols and declaring, “I hope they stomp his ass.”
Also Friday, a Tennessee board suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care.
The suspensions of EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge build on efforts by authorities to hold officers and other first responders accountable for the violence against Nichols, who was Black. Six Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges. One other officer has been suspended. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into the attack that was captured on video.
Three fire department employees were fired after Nichols died. Former fire department Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee let go, but her license was not considered for suspension Friday. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols’ beating Jan. 7. He died Jan. 10.
Emergency Medical Services Board member Jeff Beaman said during Friday’s emergency meeting that there may have been other licensed personnel on scene — including a supervisor — who could have prevented the situation that led to the death of Nichols. Beaman said he hopes the board addresses those in the future.
Matt Gibbs, an attorney for the state Department of Health, said the two suspensions were “not final disposition of this entire matter.”
Board members watched 19 minutes of surveillance video that showed Long and Sandridge as they failed to care for Nichols, who couldn’t stay seated upright against the side of the vehicle, laying prone on the ground multiple times. They also considered an affidavit by the Memphis Fire Department’s EMS deputy chief.
“The (state) Department (of Health) alleges that neither Mr. Sandridge nor Mr. Long engaged in emergency care and treatment to patient T.N., who was clearly in distress during the 19 minute period,” Gibbs said.
Board member Sullivan Smith said it was “obvious to even a lay person” that Nichols “was in terrible distress and needed help.”
“And they failed to provide that help,” Smith said. “They were his best shot, and they failed to help.”
Fire Chief Gina Sweat has said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When the workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed on the ground and slumped against a squad car, the statement said.
Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, “failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,” the statement said.
There was no immediate response to a voicemail seeking comment left at a number listed for Long. A person who answered a phone call to a number listed for Sandridge declined to comment on the board’s decision.
An ambulance was called, and it arrived at 8:55 p.m., the statement said. An emergency unit cared for Nichols and left for a hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., which was 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, officials said.
An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, the statement said, adding that “their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department.”
Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother.
Six of the officers involved were part of the so-called Scorpion unit, which targeted violent criminals in high-crime areas. Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said after the video’s release that the unit has been disbanded.
The killing led to renewed public discussion of how police forces can treat Black citizens with excessive violence, regardless of the race of both the police officers and those being policed.
At Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday, calls for reform and justice were interwoven with grief over the loss of a man remembered as a son, a sibling, a father and a passionate photographer and skateboarder.
Sixth Memphis cop fired after beating death of Tyre Nichols
A sixth Memphis officer was fired after internal investigation showed he violated department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After Memphis police officers severely beat Tyre Nichols, 29, before he died, one took photos of the bloodied man with his personal cellphone and sent it to multiple people, newly released documents show.
apple.news
"On (Haley's) personal cell phone, (Haley) took two photographs while standing in front of the obviously injured subject after he was handcuffed," the document reads. Haley "admitted (he) shared the photo in a text message with five people; one civilian employee, two MPD officers, and one female acquaintance."
The memo says a sixth person was later found to have received the same photograph.
www.criminalbehaviours.com
Former Memphis police officer took photos of Tyre Nichols after beating, documents say — USA TODAY
Former officer Demetrius Haley took a picture of Tyre Nichols after he was beaten and texted it to multiple people, newly released documents show.
"On (Haley's) personal cell phone, (Haley) took two photographs while standing in front of the obviously injured subject after he was handcuffed," the document reads. Haley "admitted (he) shared the photo in a text message with five people; one civilian employee, two MPD officers, and one female acquaintance."
The memo says a sixth person was later found to have received the same photograph.
A killer and their trophies
Criminal Behaviours explores why criminals keep trophies of their crimes. Many types of criminals will keep "trophies" or "Souvenirs" as a memento of their crime. In most cases these same items will be used against them later as evidence and direct links to their involvement of the crimes. In...
www.criminalbehaviours.com
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Travis Loller, Jonathan Mattise And Adrian Sainz
Published Feb 08, 2023 • 4 minute read
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
The Memphis Police Department blasted Demetrius Haley and four other officers as “blatantly unprofessional” and asked that they be stripped of the ability to work as police for their role in the Jan. 7 beating, according to documents released Tuesday by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.
They also include revelations that Haley took photographs of Nichols as he lay propped against a police car, then sent the photos to other officers and a female acquaintance.
Nichols died three days later — the latest police killing to prompt nationwide protests and an intense public conversation about how police treat Black residents.
Yet what led to it all remains a mystery.
The five officers — Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III — have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. The new documents offer the most detailed account to date of those officers’ actions. Their attorneys have not commented to The Associated Press about the documents.
Another officer also has been fired and a seventh suspended of duty. Six others may be disciplined, officials disclosed, without providing any details. That would bring the total involved to 13.
Erica Williams, a spokeswoman for the top prosecutor in Memphis, said more charges could still be filed.
Meanwhile, other residents are coming forward about interactions with Memphis police.
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the same officers now charged with murdering Nichols, 29, with also violating the rights of another man from the same neighbourhood as Nichols during a similarly violent arrest three days before Nichols’ arrest.
According to the lawsuit, Monterrious Harris, 22, was visiting a cousin at an apartment on the evening of Jan. 4 when his car was “suddenly swarmed by a large group of assailants wearing black ski-masks, dressed in black clothing, brandishing guns, other weapons, hurling expletives and making threats to end his life if he did not exit his car.”
Harris thought the men were trying to rob him, the lawsuit says, and he tried to back up his car before hitting something. He then reluctantly exited with his hands raised and was “grabbed, punched, kicked and assaulted” for up to two minutes, the complaint states. The beating stopped only after people came out of their apartments to see what was happening, the lawsuit alleges.
Photos of Harris’ face taken after his release on bail about nine days later show thick scabs on his forehead and a healing black eye.
The suit accuses officers of fabricating evidence to support charges against Harris, including being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, criminal trespass and evading arrest.
Also, a woman told WREG-TV that she tried to warn the Memphis Police Department about Haley after a Feb. 21, 2021, encounter. Kadejah Townes said she was returning a movie to a Redbox machine at a Walgreens when police responded to a false shooting call. Police initially told her she could leave, she said, but then officers stopped her when she put her car in reverse. Haley placed handcuffs on Townes so roughly that she feared her arm was dislocated, she said.
Her aunt recorded the encounter. Then police stopped her aunt and brother while they followed a squad car as it took Townes to a hospital. Townes said she was never charged with anything.
Haley’s disciplinary file showed that after Townes filed a complaint, he was written up for failing to fill out proper paperwork — not for use of force.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Townes told the TV station.
Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis signed requests seeking to prohibit the five charged officers from working in law enforcement again. The Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission will decide later whether to do that.
Haley, who was driving an unmarked car and wearing a black hoodie, forced Nichols from his car using profanity, then sprayed him in the eyes with a chemical irritant, according to the documents released Tuesday.
“You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest,” the documents state.
Haley did not have his body camera on when he stopped Nichols but was on a phone call with someone who overheard.
Nichols ran from officers but was caught again a few blocks away. At that point, Haley kicked him in the torso as three other officers were handcuffing him. Other officers kicked Nichols in the face, punched him or struck him with a baton.
Charges against the other officers include that they misled officials about what happened.
Martin, for instance, claimed Nichols tried to snatch the officer’s gun from his holster after Haley forced him out of the vehicle, with Martin helping by grabbing Nichols’ wrist. However, video doesn’t corroborate the gun-grab claim, the documents said.
In a letter from Smith included in his file, he defended his conduct, stating that Nichols was “violent and would not comply.”
Audio from a body camera did not capture Nichols using profanity or making violent threats — instead, he appeared calm and polite in his comments to the officers.
The documents also highlight the failure to provide aid afterward, with Bean’s indifference to Nichols’ distress reported by a civilian who recorded video that has not been released.
All five also were faulted for violating rules on body cameras — either by not having them on the whole time or taking off their vests with cameras attached, the documents said.
— Associated Press reporters Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Gene Johnson in Seattle, and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kan., contributed. Mattise and Loller reported from Nashville.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Travis Loller, Jonathan Mattise And Adrian Sainz
Published Feb 08, 2023 • 4 minute read
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
The Memphis Police Department blasted Demetrius Haley and four other officers as “blatantly unprofessional” and asked that they be stripped of the ability to work as police for their role in the Jan. 7 beating, according to documents released Tuesday by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.
They also include revelations that Haley took photographs of Nichols as he lay propped against a police car, then sent the photos to other officers and a female acquaintance.
Nichols died three days later — the latest police killing to prompt nationwide protests and an intense public conversation about how police treat Black residents.
Yet what led to it all remains a mystery.
The five officers — Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III — have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. The new documents offer the most detailed account to date of those officers’ actions. Their attorneys have not commented to The Associated Press about the documents.
Another officer also has been fired and a seventh suspended of duty. Six others may be disciplined, officials disclosed, without providing any details. That would bring the total involved to 13.
Erica Williams, a spokeswoman for the top prosecutor in Memphis, said more charges could still be filed.
Meanwhile, other residents are coming forward about interactions with Memphis police.
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the same officers now charged with murdering Nichols, 29, with also violating the rights of another man from the same neighbourhood as Nichols during a similarly violent arrest three days before Nichols’ arrest.
According to the lawsuit, Monterrious Harris, 22, was visiting a cousin at an apartment on the evening of Jan. 4 when his car was “suddenly swarmed by a large group of assailants wearing black ski-masks, dressed in black clothing, brandishing guns, other weapons, hurling expletives and making threats to end his life if he did not exit his car.”
Harris thought the men were trying to rob him, the lawsuit says, and he tried to back up his car before hitting something. He then reluctantly exited with his hands raised and was “grabbed, punched, kicked and assaulted” for up to two minutes, the complaint states. The beating stopped only after people came out of their apartments to see what was happening, the lawsuit alleges.
Photos of Harris’ face taken after his release on bail about nine days later show thick scabs on his forehead and a healing black eye.
The suit accuses officers of fabricating evidence to support charges against Harris, including being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, criminal trespass and evading arrest.
Also, a woman told WREG-TV that she tried to warn the Memphis Police Department about Haley after a Feb. 21, 2021, encounter. Kadejah Townes said she was returning a movie to a Redbox machine at a Walgreens when police responded to a false shooting call. Police initially told her she could leave, she said, but then officers stopped her when she put her car in reverse. Haley placed handcuffs on Townes so roughly that she feared her arm was dislocated, she said.
Her aunt recorded the encounter. Then police stopped her aunt and brother while they followed a squad car as it took Townes to a hospital. Townes said she was never charged with anything.
Haley’s disciplinary file showed that after Townes filed a complaint, he was written up for failing to fill out proper paperwork — not for use of force.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Townes told the TV station.
Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis signed requests seeking to prohibit the five charged officers from working in law enforcement again. The Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission will decide later whether to do that.
Haley, who was driving an unmarked car and wearing a black hoodie, forced Nichols from his car using profanity, then sprayed him in the eyes with a chemical irritant, according to the documents released Tuesday.
“You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest,” the documents state.
Haley did not have his body camera on when he stopped Nichols but was on a phone call with someone who overheard.
Nichols ran from officers but was caught again a few blocks away. At that point, Haley kicked him in the torso as three other officers were handcuffing him. Other officers kicked Nichols in the face, punched him or struck him with a baton.
Charges against the other officers include that they misled officials about what happened.
Martin, for instance, claimed Nichols tried to snatch the officer’s gun from his holster after Haley forced him out of the vehicle, with Martin helping by grabbing Nichols’ wrist. However, video doesn’t corroborate the gun-grab claim, the documents said.
In a letter from Smith included in his file, he defended his conduct, stating that Nichols was “violent and would not comply.”
Audio from a body camera did not capture Nichols using profanity or making violent threats — instead, he appeared calm and polite in his comments to the officers.
The documents also highlight the failure to provide aid afterward, with Bean’s indifference to Nichols’ distress reported by a civilian who recorded video that has not been released.
All five also were faulted for violating rules on body cameras — either by not having them on the whole time or taking off their vests with cameras attached, the documents said.
— Associated Press reporters Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Gene Johnson in Seattle, and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kan., contributed. Mattise and Loller reported from Nashville.
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, documents show.
First officer in Tyre Nichols arrest accused of brutality as jailer
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Travis Loller and Adrian Sainz
Published Feb 10, 2023 • 4 minute read
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Years before Memphis Police officer Demetrius Haley pulled Tyre Nichols from his car on Jan. 7, setting in motion a deadly confrontation, Haley was accused of taking part in the savage beating of an inmate at a county prison.
The 2015 assault of the inmate was so disturbing that 34 others — the entire cellblock — signed a letter to the corrections director.
“We are truly asking that this matter gets looked into before someone gets hurt really bad or lose their life because of some unprofessional officers,” the letter stated.
The warning from dozens of inmates at the Shelby County prison is the clearest indication yet that one of the five officers who took part in the violent beating of Nichols had an event in his past that should have raised concerns before he was hired as a police officer. Nichols died three days after the beating.
The letter asks how the inmates are supposed to feel “safe and secure when the staff members at the Shelby County Correctional Center are assaulting and threatening us?”
It concludes, “Please put a stop to this madness.”
Shelby County did not respond to a request Friday seeking information about its investigation into the beating allegations, so it is unclear if Haley was disciplined or cleared of the assault. An email was sent Friday to a police spokesperson asking if the department knew about the allegations when Haley was hired.
There is no national database of officers found guilty of misconduct who resign or are fired, meaning in a lot of cases they can apply for jobs in other police agencies and departments. There is a national database for officers who lose their certification — the equivalent of their professional license to be a police officer in a particular state. That wouldn’t have made a difference in Haley’s case because his job at the county prison didn’t require police certification.
The former officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death, along with ex- officers Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith. All except Bean have infractions in their work records. Policy violations include using minor physical force during an arrest and failing to fill out a form about it; failing to report a domestic violence situation; and a car crash, records show.
The prior accusations against Haley came to light because the inmate, Cordarlrius Sledge, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against him and two others. It accused Haley and another officer of punching him, and a third of slamming his head into the floor. The suit was ultimately dismissed on procedural grounds, because Sledge had failed to file a grievance with the prison, which houses inmates in the Memphis area who have been tried and convicted.
Haley continued to work for the Division of Corrections until hired by Memphis Police in 2020, at a time when the department was lowering its standards for recruits in an attempt to fill vacancies. According to records in his personnel file, a previous application to the police department was rejected, but the reason for that rejection is blacked out.
A sixth officer who participated in Nichols’ arrest and beating, Preston Hemphill, has been fired but not criminally charged. He initially failed a physical after he was hired in 2019 and spent several months in a civilian position.
Van Turner, president of the NAACP’s Memphis branch, said Tyre Nichols’ death could have been prevented if the police department had not hired Haley.
“The culture of violence and bravado and the lack of empathy for individuals is not only here in our neighborhoods and communities, but unfortunately also in our jails and prison system,” said Turner, who is running for mayor.
Haley, Hemphill, and the four other officers were all eventually assigned to the Scorpion unit, an acronym for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. The anti-crime task force that Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis started when she took over the department in June 2021 was designed to focus on repeat violent offenders, but has been accused of violent and illegal tactics.
Black residents of Memphis have described police sweeps in which unmarked cars roll into neighborhoods and armed plainclothes officers jump out, rushing traffic violators and issuing commands. The resulting fear has led people to text, call and use social media to caution each other to stay inside or avoid the area when police operations are underway.
Davis initially defended but later disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death.
Haley has not spoken publicly about his role in Nichols’ arrest and beating. He declined to make a statement at his disciplinary hearing, and his attorney has declined to comment. When a reporter from The Associated Press knocked on Haley’s door this week, no one answered.
Neighbors who live in single-family homes near Haley, in a quiet section of the Memphis suburb of Cordova, said he moved into the house about two years ago. Michael Cassie said he didn’t have many conversations with Haley, but the ones he did have were friendly. Haley mostly kept to himself and has not been seen around the neighborhood in recent weeks, said Cassie, a 74-year-old minister.
Asked about his reaction when he learned of Haley’s involvement with Nichols, Cassie said, “I was totally shocked that it was him.”
— Loller reported from Nashville. Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York and AP reporter Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Travis Loller and Adrian Sainz
Published Feb 10, 2023 • 4 minute read
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Years before Memphis Police officer Demetrius Haley pulled Tyre Nichols from his car on Jan. 7, setting in motion a deadly confrontation, Haley was accused of taking part in the savage beating of an inmate at a county prison.
The 2015 assault of the inmate was so disturbing that 34 others — the entire cellblock — signed a letter to the corrections director.
“We are truly asking that this matter gets looked into before someone gets hurt really bad or lose their life because of some unprofessional officers,” the letter stated.
The warning from dozens of inmates at the Shelby County prison is the clearest indication yet that one of the five officers who took part in the violent beating of Nichols had an event in his past that should have raised concerns before he was hired as a police officer. Nichols died three days after the beating.
The letter asks how the inmates are supposed to feel “safe and secure when the staff members at the Shelby County Correctional Center are assaulting and threatening us?”
It concludes, “Please put a stop to this madness.”
Shelby County did not respond to a request Friday seeking information about its investigation into the beating allegations, so it is unclear if Haley was disciplined or cleared of the assault. An email was sent Friday to a police spokesperson asking if the department knew about the allegations when Haley was hired.
There is no national database of officers found guilty of misconduct who resign or are fired, meaning in a lot of cases they can apply for jobs in other police agencies and departments. There is a national database for officers who lose their certification — the equivalent of their professional license to be a police officer in a particular state. That wouldn’t have made a difference in Haley’s case because his job at the county prison didn’t require police certification.
The former officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death, along with ex- officers Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith. All except Bean have infractions in their work records. Policy violations include using minor physical force during an arrest and failing to fill out a form about it; failing to report a domestic violence situation; and a car crash, records show.
The prior accusations against Haley came to light because the inmate, Cordarlrius Sledge, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against him and two others. It accused Haley and another officer of punching him, and a third of slamming his head into the floor. The suit was ultimately dismissed on procedural grounds, because Sledge had failed to file a grievance with the prison, which houses inmates in the Memphis area who have been tried and convicted.
Haley continued to work for the Division of Corrections until hired by Memphis Police in 2020, at a time when the department was lowering its standards for recruits in an attempt to fill vacancies. According to records in his personnel file, a previous application to the police department was rejected, but the reason for that rejection is blacked out.
A sixth officer who participated in Nichols’ arrest and beating, Preston Hemphill, has been fired but not criminally charged. He initially failed a physical after he was hired in 2019 and spent several months in a civilian position.
Van Turner, president of the NAACP’s Memphis branch, said Tyre Nichols’ death could have been prevented if the police department had not hired Haley.
“The culture of violence and bravado and the lack of empathy for individuals is not only here in our neighborhoods and communities, but unfortunately also in our jails and prison system,” said Turner, who is running for mayor.
Haley, Hemphill, and the four other officers were all eventually assigned to the Scorpion unit, an acronym for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. The anti-crime task force that Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis started when she took over the department in June 2021 was designed to focus on repeat violent offenders, but has been accused of violent and illegal tactics.
Black residents of Memphis have described police sweeps in which unmarked cars roll into neighborhoods and armed plainclothes officers jump out, rushing traffic violators and issuing commands. The resulting fear has led people to text, call and use social media to caution each other to stay inside or avoid the area when police operations are underway.
Davis initially defended but later disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death.
Haley has not spoken publicly about his role in Nichols’ arrest and beating. He declined to make a statement at his disciplinary hearing, and his attorney has declined to comment. When a reporter from The Associated Press knocked on Haley’s door this week, no one answered.
Neighbors who live in single-family homes near Haley, in a quiet section of the Memphis suburb of Cordova, said he moved into the house about two years ago. Michael Cassie said he didn’t have many conversations with Haley, but the ones he did have were friendly. Haley mostly kept to himself and has not been seen around the neighborhood in recent weeks, said Cassie, a 74-year-old minister.
Asked about his reaction when he learned of Haley’s involvement with Nichols, Cassie said, “I was totally shocked that it was him.”
— Loller reported from Nashville. Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York and AP reporter Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
First officer in Tyre Nichols arrest accused of brutality as jailer
Police officer Demetrius Haley was accused of taking part in the savage beating of an inmate at the Shelby County jail.
True, but their focus on the 'rrrrrrraaaaaacism' especially on the left will prevent them from addressing that. There's already been a million stories about how this is still rrrrrraaaacism despite the fact the officers were black, and only a couple of quickly ignored calls to maybe think about how they choose the people to be cops in the first place. It's a shame.
There's no legitimate racism in America; it's all fake/a lefty lie to get white people to feel guilty!
There is lots of racism in America that whites have no part of .