Tyre Nichols civil death suit pursues Memphis officials as witnesses
More than 100 people, including current and former Memphis officers and first responders, have been named as potential witnesses in the $550 million civil suit filed by the family of Tyre Nichols. The 29-year-old Black man was brutally beaten by the specialized SCORPION Unit of the police department in January 2023. He was hospitalized and passed away three days later as a result of his injuries.
In a March 28 filing, it was revealed by ABC 24 that Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, Assistant Chiefs Shawn Jones and Donald Crowe, fired Memphis Fire Department employees, two Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies, various other emergency personnel and city employees, along with Nichols’ parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, could all take the stand.
The five disgraced officers charged in connection with the fatal traffic stop are Emmitt Martin III, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith. Their offenses range from conspiring to cover up the use of unlawful force and witness tampering, as well as second-degree murder, aggravated assault and more.
“Tyre Nichols should be alive today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke last year in September, when a grand jury returned their indictment. “These federal charges reflect the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting the constitutional and civil rights of every American and preserving the integrity of the criminal justice system. We stand ready to hold law enforcement officers accountable for their misconduct because no one is above the law in our country,” added Clarke.
The civil suit was filed three months after the man’s death. “This has nothing to do with the monetary value of this lawsuit,” his mother, RowVaughn, told the media. “But everything that has to do with accountability. Those five police officers murdered my son. They beat him to death, and they need to be held accountable along with everyone else that has something to do with my son’s murder.” The case will be presented at trial beginning January 27, 2025.
This week, also on March 28, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee repealed traffic stop reforms that were passed in the wake of Nichols’ tragedy. The Driving Equality Act in Honor of Tyre Nichols prevented police from making traffic stops for lesser infractions that supporters felt unfairly targeted Black motorists.
]]>
