The Memphis Fire Department (MFD) fired three employees in connection with the Tyre Nichols case. In a statement, the MFD claims it found that, following an internal investigation, technicians Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge failed to properly assess the victim's condition and that Lt. Michelle Whitaker did not get out of the car to support her fellow officers. Two of them are black, as are five of the police officers also involved.
— Memphis Fire Department (@MEM_Fire) January 30, 2023
The fire department explained that the three officers "violated numerous MFD Policies and Protocols." Gina Sweat, head of the MFD, denounced the actions of her former colleagues:
Their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department and are not reflective of the outstanding service the men and women of the Memphis Fire Department provide daily in our community.
At around 8:30 p.m., the fire department received a call about an incident involving a citizen who was pepper sprayed. In the car that went to the scene were paramedics Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge, along with Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker and the driver. The investigators concluded that Long and Sandridge "failed to perform an adequate patient assessment." Lieutenant Whitaker was also deemed to have acted negligently by not getting off the transport and supporting her fellow responders.
