Three former Memphis Police Department officers were convicted Thursday of federal felonies for their involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after a violent encounter with police on January 7, 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, and Justin Smith were found guilty by a federal jury after a four-week trial. They faced charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and conspiring to cover up their actions by providing false information to superiors.
Two additional officers involved in the incident, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., previously pled guilty to related charges, the DOJ states.
Court documents revealed that Nichols was stopped for a traffic violation and fled on foot. The officers pursued him, ultimately pepper-spraying, kicking, and beating him with batons.
Nichols was left handcuffed and without medical attention for several minutes before being transported to a hospital, where he died three days later. The medical examiner determined that Nichols died from blunt force trauma to the head and multiple injuries to his body.