The new report suggests that there may be a different motivation to detain the Black motorist, as the seemingly violent traffic stop initiated by former Memphis police officers charged with the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols is being upended, questioning the official reason why.
It has added fuel to the enduring question:
Nichols was pulled over for something other than reckless driving when he was pulled over for something other than reckless driving.
Despite his claims to investigators, Nichols never witnessed Hemphill admitting to driving recklessly. Hemphill was terminated last week, but the MPD record indicates that Hemphill initially informed investigators that the traffic stop was due to reckless driving. Officers were urged to “subdue him” and employed their Taser on Nichols, who is Preston Hemphill.
Was there any reason, other than reckless driving, to force Hemphill to draw his firearm for suspicion of a nonviolent misdemeanor? It is not the standard procedure for an alleged traffic violation like this for Nichols to approach with his weapon drawn. Hemphill, who did not partake in the brutal assault that his colleagues subjected Nichols to, still found himself in this situation.
Hemphill was also found to have lied, as officers started fighting with Nichols, who tried to grab one of their guns, further damaging the credibility of the officer.
The challenge lies in the details
According to documents from the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, as reported by the New York Post, it is evident that Nichols was never officially notified of the reason for the traffic stop, which further raises questions about the accusation of reckless driving.
From the article:
Former officer Haley Demetrius Nichols pulled over Nichols last month for a routine traffic stop when they had another officer approach his car with guns drawn. The records show that Nichols was driving an unmarked car and wearing a black hoodie when he was stopped.
Later, they alleged they stopped Nichols for dangerous driving, but they never conveyed that to him.
The documents state that you did not notify the driver about the cause for the vehicle stop or that he was being detained.
Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, the Head of Police in Memphis, previously mentioned that there was “no proof” to indicate that Nichols was operating a vehicle in a careless fashion.
Davis informed CNN in the latter part of the previous month, stating, “although there is no evidence, there is a possibility that an event did not take place. However, this does not imply that we have failed to provide evidence for it, as we have thoroughly investigated to determine the potential reason. Up to this moment, we have not been able to validate this claim, even if an incident did occur before this intervention. We have thoroughly examined footage from body-worn cameras and surveillance cameras.”
Conspiracy theories are widespread
The new disclosures came on the heels of a report that former officer Haley used his cellphone to take photos of Nichols beating him, after he allegedly received at least one of the images texted to five other people, who were acquaintances. This fact renewed a social media rumor that the police violence was motivated by more than just a reckless driver in pursuit and that it was personal.
Sherrilyn Ifill, the former director-counsel and president of the LDF, said in a tweet that she tried to ignore the rumors surrounding the revelation about Haley, but the entire story urgently needs attention.
Certainly, Nichols’ stepfather previously disproved the rumor.
Rodney Wells expressed last week at a gathering in Memphis, “My son was not engaging in any inappropriate behavior with one of the officer’s spouses. That’s merely a hearsay.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton, who gave the eulogy at Nichols’ funeral last week, also disregarded the speculation.
“No one mentioned anything about a girlfriend,” Sharpton previously stated before adding, “they started attacking an unarmed man.”
What occurred to Tyre Nichols?
Two days after the reported suspicion of reckless driving, a 29-year-old father named Nichols was pulled over. Unfortunately, on January 10, his young son died.
Nichols’ mother stated that the bodycam footage is proof that the Memphis Police Department “killed” her son.
At least 13 people, including three personnel department employees and six police officers, have been held accountable for the death of Nichols.
An independent autopsy revealed that “Nichols suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, consistent with the injuries observed by attorneys and the family, as witnessed on his fatal encounter video with the police.”
The Department of Justice declared this week that it plans to engage in an autonomous examination of the MPD.
The funeral for Nichols took place on February 1st.
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