The five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers who participated in the savage and fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in January 2023 have been indicted by a federal grand jury.
The U.S. Department of Justice secured indictments against ex-cops Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. Each one is facing four federal charges: Deprivation of rights under the color of law through excessive force and failure to intervene, and through deliberate indifference; conspiracy to witness tampering; and obstruction of justice through witness tampering, according to the DOJ’s website.
“Officers who violate the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect undermine public safety, which depends on the community’s trust in law enforcement,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that appears on the DOJ’s website. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable officers who betray their oath.”
The five men, who were terminated by the Memphis Police Department, also have to contend with state charges in Tennessee and are collectively the defendants of a $550 million federal civil lawsuit filed by the family, CNN states.
“If anything, we are so hopeful that today sent a chilling effect — a chilling effect — on police officers across America,” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Nichols family, during a news conference Tuesday. “That not only are you going to be under review by the state, but Merrick Garland and the Biden administration have sent the warning and set a precedent that the federal government is going to defend the civil rights for all American citizens, against anybody, whether they’re wearing a badge or not.”
