Additionally, the news outlet now reports that the police department and the family have released further information regarding the incident. The case involves Tyre Nichols, who was arrested in Memphis after causing a fatal traffic accident. The news broke on the first day, highlighting the lack of proper details on how Nichols ended up in a DUI situation and using a breathing machine.
But to be truthful, much of this stuff doesn’t make sense. Let’s go over 12 essential reasons why.
The public discovered Officer Preston Hemphill, a white former Memphis cop, had been on administrative leave since the beginning of the investigation. Attorneys and Nichols’ family questioned why it took so long to discover his involvement, even though he had already been fired and charged.
After Nichols escaped, Hemphill was caught on tape uttering “I trust they crush his posterior.” Hemphill additionally possessed two sets of handcuffs that belonged to him personally – a blatant breach of department regulations – and was captured on bodycam drawing out his stun gun during the initial encounter with Nichols, as reported by The Commercial Appeal.
Hemphill is also accused of brandishing his firearm as he approached Nichols’ vehicle.
2. Images Sent of Tyre Nichols’ Bruised Face
Reports indicate that among the individuals who received the photographs, there were also two Memphis law enforcement officials. Demetrius Haley, one of the officers facing charges, confessed to capturing two images of Nichols’ injured corpse using his personal mobile device and sharing them with as many as six individuals.
Disgraceful as it may be, the act of capturing this incident on camera, the content of the messages has not been revealed. Perhaps he desired to reminisce about the harm he had inflicted.
3. Inaccurate Accounts of the Incident by Law Enforcement
Nichols confessed that he did not see Hemphill while driving recklessly. However, Hemphill emphasized that the initial police report falsely portrayed the incident. During an officer’s statement in a hearing, it was stated that the information provided in the report was misleading.
He has not yet been criminally charged. The video does not align with the events documented in the video. Hemphill also alleged that Nichols fought him, which led him to use his Taser.
4. Deactivating Body Cameras
According to Insider, it was reported that one individual hid his camera in his car. In the course of the occurrence, three individuals completely took them off. The assault failed to record the incident on their body cameras, for what reason? The group of five officers entered.
The police department noted that officers violated the department’s policies, as stated in documents from the department. The majority of the incident, which was witnessed by the world, was recorded by the “sky cop” camera.
5. Nichols Was Unaware of the Reason for being Stopped
Nichols Tyre never told him the reason for pulling over Haley Demetrius when he stopped him. Inside Nichols, he approached him, forcing him out of the vehicle of an unmarked car and jumping out in a black hoodie, using loud “profanity” from the vehicle.
6. Memphis Police Department’s Interaction with Nichols’ Parents
After being detained for driving under the influence and being subjected to pepper spray and a taser while in the hospital, they informed her that he was Tyre Nichols, the Memphis police officers who knocked on her front door that night to inquire if they had any knowledge, as mentioned by Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, during her interview with Don Lemon on CNN This Morning.
They neglected to share he was in critical condition. Also, since when do the cops approach the family to announce an arrest?
7. Police Assert Nichols Possessed “Extraordinary Stamina”
A similar incident was described by paramedics and officers, where Elijah McClain was given a lethal dose of amphetamine. What a way to reinforce stereotypes about Black individuals. In the same interview, Nichols’ mother said that nonlethal weapons were used on him because it was difficult to handcuff him, as he displayed a “superhuman” amount of energy.
8. The Medication Explanation
The police department, which often exploits cases like George Floyd’s, tries to blame drugs as a scapegoat for the time they spend investigating deaths caused by their own brutality, as seen in the autopsy report.
In the video footage of the incident, the officers can be heard joking about Nichols being involved. When asked if her son was on any type of drugs, Mrs. Wells said the officers responded.
After he collapsed, one officer remarks, “He’s really intoxicated,” while attempting to support him against the police vehicle.
“He was heavily intoxicated,” says another police officer. No, he was battling for his life.
9. Searching for Tire
Mrs. Wells told officers that he was “close” to her, but he was sent to the hospital because he was still under arrest. His parents, Mr. And Mrs. Nichols, were instructed not to go see him, but he was sent to the hospital as the police had informed them.
According to CNN This Morning, at 4 a.M., Nichols experienced a cardiac arrest and kidney failure. The medical professionals at St. Francis Hospital contacted Nichols’ parents to inquire about their absence and provide them with the necessary information.
Wells drove as the cops, trying to cover up something, it may have become more believable to find their son.
10. The Scorpion Squad
The five officers who were members of the neighborhood crime-fighting unit, known for their alleged history of violence, were terminated from the department and faced charges in the incident. According to Rodney Wells, Nichols’ father, there have been numerous instances of people being assaulted by officers from the Scorpion unit. A Memphis resident informed WJHL 11 News that Nichols was apprehended by the Scorpion unit in a forceful manner, similar to what happened four days before his death.
According to Cornell McKinney, he physically pulled me out of the car with a gun to my shoulder and proceeded to come towards the officers. He told me to put my hands up. Both of you get out of the car. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er. I will blow your heads off before I put my hands up, motherf***er.
11. Commands that are Extremely Difficult to Follow
According to an analysis by the New York Times, within the span of 13 minutes, the officers issued over 71 orders, which were contradictory and perplexing. It appeared that the officers became agitated when they perceived that Nichols was not following their instructions – all 70 of them, as shown in the body camera footage.
“While lying flat on the ground, Nichols yelled to demand that the officers show him the results of the punch to his face, but they were holding him down by his arms. This happened when he was already on the ground, and the officers yelled at him.”
12. Boasting and Dilly-dallying
Every time an officer is seen in the shining light, Nichols tried to grab their gun during the struggle, attempting to lift them up or walk away from them. They claimed to have tried to slam their cars into his vehicle while he was slumped over near a squad car, lying about the incident as a joke to appear in the footage and to have more officers arrive at the scene.
I am unable to express the kind of assistance that was given, apart from looking at Nichols with a blank expression… Until eventually, someone arrives to offer assistance, while more than 10 police officers engage in casual conversation about the injuries they suffered after essentially ambushing Nichols, approximately 20 minutes pass.
13. Ambiguous Information from MPD
You would have never imagined even a fraction of these occurrences took place based on the initial press statement of the incident.
“According to the statement provided by the MPD, when an ambulance was summoned to the location, the suspect expressed distress over experiencing difficulty in breathing. Nevertheless, the suspect was eventually apprehended, and another altercation took place during the process of detaining the suspect.”
Everyone is in need of the same answers. Currently, we are faced with the internet showing the picture of Mr. Wells, who has been beaten and bloated, due to the demands for answers. The main reason for this is the investigations and charges leading to terminations.
14. Inquiries regarding the Suspected DUI
CJ Cerelyn, the Chief of Police in Memphis, told CNN’s Don Lemon this morning that she still speculates whether there was probable cause for the traffic stop, based on footage that they are currently looking at.
“Well, I’m going to be honest with you about the incident itself – what was said, what we witnessed, and what was considered reckless driving. Even if there had been something prior to this that could substantiate a need to stop, we have looked at the body-worn cameras and there was no evidence of reckless driving.”
While being held, his existence was diminishing. He was never informed of his rights or given the opportunity to communicate with a lawyer. Nichols didn’t even have the opportunity to face charges and demonstrate his lack of guilt.
15. Past Accusations of Abuse
Reports indicate that Demetrius Haley, one of the five police officers accused in the incident, had been previously sued for employing excessive force against a prisoner during his tenure at the Shelby County detention center. However, since the case did not progress to a trial, the lawsuit was dismissed.
Only a couple of years later, being implicated in another incident at your fresh employment, being accused of assault at one job, it’s disgraceful no matter what.
16. Can Chief Davis Be Relied Upon?
According to the Tribune Hastings, it is ironic that the Scorpion unit in Memphis is accused of doing the same. The unit, including the previously led Special Operations Section of Atlanta’s Red Dog unit, was disbanded following illegal searches and accusations of police brutality, as stated by Chief Davis.
In 2008, Davis was terminated from the Atlanta Police Department following accusations of mishandling a pedophilia investigation. Following her appeal against the termination, she was reinstated and subsequently retired in 2016. Subsequently, she assumed the role of police chief in the Durham, North Carolina police department and recently joined the Memphis PD in 2021.
We love a Black woman in power but after Nichols’ death, the public is beginning to question if Davis deserves her job.