A sixth officer involved in the fatal beating of African-American Tire Nichols, for which five black officers have already been fired and charged with murder, has in turn been fired, Memphis police said Friday.
Preston Hemphill, a white police officer on duty in this major southern US city since 2018, “breached many rules,” including “personal conduct,” “honesty,” and the use of a Taser, he said police in a statement.
This sixth police officer had been suspended from his duties at the beginning of the investigation, but this had not been made public until Monday.
They publish the images of the arrest
Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested on January 7 by agents of a special unit in Memphis, in the southern United States, for a traffic violation according to police.
But beaten relentlessly, so badly that he had become unrecognizable according to his family, he died three days later in hospital.
The unbearable images of the arrest were broadcast, without cuts, by the country’s main channels, making the authorities fear a social conflagration.
During the young man’s funeral on Wednesday, speakers – including US Vice President Kamala Harris – rioted against police violence.
Source: BFM TV
