A sixth Memphis police officer has been “relieved of duty” after further probes into the grisly killing of Tyre Nichols turned up additional damning evidence.
Memphis Police Maj. Karen Rudolph would only state that Officer Preston Hemphill is no longer on the force, but declined to go into detail, according to Fox 4 News.
Officer Preston Hemphill, a 26-year-old who joined the force in 2018, was relieved of duty amid the investigation into Tyre Nichols' death, the Memphis Police Department said. https://t.co/vH9YiftbPJ
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) January 30, 2023
However, WREG reports that investigators uncovered evidence that shows Hemphill’s culpability along with the five other former cops in Nichols’ harrowing beating death.
The station reports that Hemphill was not only present at the fatal traffic stop, but he is shown on video “pulling [Nichols] from his car forcefully” and “hitting him on the ground with a Taser.”
Moreover, the outlet adds that Hemphill made a troubling utterance after Nichols attempted to flee the scene.
“I hope they stomp his a–,” he is reported as saying on the video. The fact that the other five officers did just that could result in grave legal ramifications for Hemphill.
Both Fox and WREG reported that in addition to the six police officers being fired, two Shelby County deputies and Memphis Fire Department employees were also “relieved of duty.” No word on whether those first responders will be facing any criminal charges.
In related news, the six ex-Memphis cops are now facing more than a trial by the state on second-degree murder charges and several other felonies. The U.S. Department of Justice has directed its FBI office in Memphis to initiate an investigation to determine if Nichols’ civil rights were violated.
