Jury Acquits Two Officers Of Violating Tyre Nichols’ Civil Rights, But Convicts On Other Charges

A federal jury acquitted two former Memphis police officers on Thursday for violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, in January 2023 during a traffic stop just minutes away from his parents’ home. They were convicted on witness tampering charges, and a third officer was convicted of violating Nichols’ civil rights, though on a lesser charge.

Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith were acquitted on the civil rights charges, while Demetrius Haley was found guilty of violating his civil right causing bodily injury ― but acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death.

The mixed verdict was delivered before federal Judge Mark Norris in the city’s Odell Horton federal courthouse building. Defense attorneys for Bean and Haley rested their case last week. Smith’s attorney argued his case on Monday.

Jurors began deliberations Thursday.

All three officers’ attorneys argued Memphis police’s departmental policies taught officers to use the type of force they did against Nichols on the night of Jan. 7, 2023, which included punches and kicks.

Prosecutors argued against that notion two weeks before the defense’s argument after several witnesses who were former Memphis police officers condemned the actions of the officers that took place that evening.

Memphis Police Lieutenant Larnce Wright, who trains officers in the police academy, said officers did not follow the training they were taught. He also said Nichols never posed a threat to officers during the fatal encounter.

“It is not consistent with our training,” Wright told prosecutors in September.

Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills, two other former officers who were involved in the beating, had pleaded guilty to civil rights violations and conspiracy charges before the trial started.

Mills is the only officer to plead guilty to state-level offenses. The other four officers face state murder charges in Nichols’ case.

Nichols died in a hospital three days after the violent interaction with the five former police officers. When his parents arrived at the hospital last year, they saw his eyes swollen shut and several bruises on his face, which made them question the legitimacy of the police’s account of what occurred that night.

The case sparked national outrage and protests, drawing comparisons to the violent beating of Rodney King decades ago in California.

Nichols’ parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, have called for police reform at both the national and state level following their son’s death.

A date for the state-level trial has not yet been set.