Three Memphis police officers accused of fatally beating Tyre Nichols found not guilty

A Tennessee state jury acquitted three former Memphis Police officers of all charges for beating Tyre Nichols to death, a 29-year-old black man who died in January 2023 after fleeing a fatal traffic stop.

The former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith faced charges of second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, official misconduct and official oppression. Although prosecutors argued that the officers engaged in a practice known as “street tax,” a violent retaliation against suspects attempting to escape, and called the use of force "unnecessary and excessive," the jury found the defendants "not guilty" of all charges after deliberating for more than eight hours.

Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. ordered their immediate release.

The three defendants, who last year had been convicted of witness tampering in a federal case, broke down in tears after hearing the verdict and hugged each other.

District Attorney Steve Mulroy did not hide his disappointment with the ruling outside the courthouse.

"We respect the jury's decision, but we obviously strongly disagree with it," Mulroy said. "We, in good faith, brought this case, and I am convinced to this day that we had compelling evidence that showed that there was proof for every element of every one of the offenses that we charged. The jury took a different view. That is, of course, their right. That's the part of the decision."

Tyre Nichols, a FedEx worker and amateur photographer, was arrested on Jan. 7, 2023, on suspicion of reckless driving.

Officers' body cameras showed that, during the stop, the suspect was violently removed from the vehicle by five MPD officers, who subdued Nichols with pepper spray and a taser before repeatedly beating him while he screamed for help.

Nichols died three days later from his injuries, leaving behind an infant son and generating nationwide protests. None of the officers reported the violence at the time. The other two officers pleaded guilty.

In the wake of the case, the officers were fired and Memphis authorities decided to disband the elite police unit to which the five officers belonged.

Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for the Nichols family, called the verdict a "devastating miscarriage of justice."

"Tyre's life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone," they said.

Despite being acquitted in the state trial, the three officers will face sentencing in the coming months on federal charges for witness tampering. Sentencing is likely to come by the end of the year.