Four Of The Five Memphis Police Officers Who Beat Tyre Nichols 'Worse Than Rodney King' Out On Bail Ahead Of Brutal Bodycam Footage Release
Jan. 27 2023, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Four of the five Memphis police officers charged with second-degree murder for the death of Tyre Nichols have posted bond and are out of jail, RadarOnline.com has learned. Only one officer remains in custody as the nation braces for the scheduled release of the body camera footage, which captured Nichols being beaten "worse than Rodney King."
Nichols succumbed to his injuries and died in the hospital on January 10 after suffering kidney failure and cardiac arrest. Three days before, the 29-year-old FedEx driver was involved in a traffic stop that escalated to an inconceivable level of violence and cruelty.
The Memphis Police Department announced that the footage of Nichols' traffic stop — and subsequent beating by officers Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Tadarrius Bean, and Demetrius Haley — would be uploaded to YouTube at 7 PM EST on January 27.
Officer Smith
The Memphis Police Chief, Cerelyn Davis, issued a statement about Nichols' beating as she warned her community — and the rest of the country watching — that the act was the worst she had seen in her lifetime.
"We are going to see acts that defy humanity, a disregard for life, duty of care and a level of physical interaction that is above and beyond what is required in law enforcement," Chief Davis said on Friday.
As the state of Tennessee prepares for potential unrest over the video, four officers were released on a combined $1 million bond after being arrested on Thursday.
Office Bean
According to court records, officers Smith, Mills Jr., Martin III, and Bean have been released from Shelby County Jail. Officer Haley remains behind bars on a $350,000 bond.
All five officers were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression.
Chief Davis described the nature of the officers' stop as "very aggressive," revealing it "escalated from there."
Officer Haley
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Officers claimed they pulled Nichols over for reckless driving — but Davis claimed there was "no proof" from the video contents that substantiated their claim, reported the Daily Mail.
"I'm sure that individuals watching will feel what the family felt," Davis warned of the disturbing footage. "And if you don't, then you're not a human being." The police chief stated that the video left her "outraged" at the officers' actions and that the level of brutality shown was "incomprehensible."
"I would say it is about the same if not worse than the 1991 beating of Rodney King," Davis added. "A group think mentality."
Officer Martin
Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells spoke to CNN and said her son was "beat like a pinata." In the footage, Nichols is said to have cried out for his mother.
"Yes, he cried out for me, because I'm his mother," Wells shared. "He was trying to get home to safety. He was a mamma's boy."
Wells, who said she was unable to watch the footage, had Nichols' step-father view it instead. She recalled her stomach hurting at the time that her son was being confronted by police, unbeknownst to her.
"I told my husband my stomach is hurting so bad, and once I found out what happened, it was just the fact that I was feeling my son's pain," the mother stated. "I was feeling my son's pain as they were beating him to death."
Officer Mills
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