Trial begins for former police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death

Three former Memphis police officers face federal charges for fatally beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop in January 2023. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith pleaded not guilty to all charges against them early last year, including counts of depriving Nichols of his rights with deliberate indifference to his physical state. The trio also faces charges of using excessive force and failing to intervene, and conspiracy and obstructing justice through witness tampering.

What exactly happened during the traffic stop? Bodycam footage showed officers stopping Nichols for what they said was a traffic violation, a claim the department later said was unsubstantiated. Officers pulled Nichols from the car at gunpoint and pushed him to the ground while yelling instructions. Nichols wrestled free of officers and ran, prompting a chase in which he was tasered, pepper sprayed, and beaten. Paramedics administered Naloxone to reverse a potential opioid overdose believing Nichols to be on drugs. “He’s high as a kite,” one officer can be heard saying. Nichols died three days later in a hospital. An autopsy showed low levels of alcohol and THC—an active marijuana ingredient —in Nichols’ blood and classified his cause of death as blunt force injury to the head.

What is expected in the trial? The trial is expected to last at least three weeks, with defendants facing up to life in prison if convicted of all charges, according to reporting by the New York Times. Two other officers indicted for Nichols’ death, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III pleaded guilty to federal charges before the trial and may be called to testify.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report on the call for federal police reform following Nichols’ death.