One of the five Memphis police officers fired and charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the beating death of Tyre Nichols admitted to taking a picture of Nichols after the beating and sending it to at least five people.
The actions were revealed by a document released by the Memphis Police Department on Tuesday as part of a request to decertify the officers involved. Decertifying the officers will make them ineligible to be hired as police officers again in the state of Tennessee.
According to the document, Officer Demetrius Haley admitted to taking the picture and sending it to at least five people with his personal cellphone. The police department’s policy prohibits officers from using their personal cellphones while performing police duties, including traffic stops.
Police said at the time that Nichols was pulled over for driving recklessly; however, Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said her department was unable to find evidence of Nichols driving recklessly.
Haley was one of the officers involved in both the initial police confrontation with Nichols and the beating that led to his death. During the initial stop, Haley can be seen in body camera footage pulling Nichols out of the car and attempting to pepper spray him, while another officer fires his taser gun at Nichols. Nichols eventually breaks free and flees the scene.
Several minutes later, officers caught up with Nichols and repeatedly beat him with kicks, fists, and batons for nearly three minutes. Haley was not present for much of the beating, only arriving after other officers had him restrained on the ground. Still, Haley can be seen on the video kicking the restrained Nichols in either his head or upper body.
Nichols, who was left handcuffed and bleeding on the street for an extended period after his arrest, died three days later.
The document does not specifically say to who Haley sent the pictures or what he texted when he sent it, but does provide some details.
"On [Haley's] personal cellphone, [Haley] took two photographs while standing in front of the obviously injured subject after he was handcuffed. [Haley] admitted [he] shared the photo in a text message with five people; one civilian employee, two MPD officers, and one female acquaintance."
The document also notes a sixth person received the same picture.
Nichols’ death led to protests in multiple cities nationwide, including Memphis. In response, the Memphis Police Department said it is disbanding the SCORPION unit the officers were assigned to. That unit, also known as a saturation unit, floods high-crime areas with a large number of officers.
The city’s fire chief also fired the two Emergency Medical Technicians who were the first medical professionals on the scene. The state board also suspended their licenses, saying they waited 19 minutes before providing medical assistance to Nichols. A fire lieutenant was also fired for not leaving the firetruck while at the scene.
The five fired police officers are scheduled to appear in court on February 17. All five officers are out on bond until their hearing. On Tuesday, Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink told the city council that eight more officers will likely be charged in connection to Nichols’ arrest and death. She said the officers' names and their charges will likely be released next week.
Two additional officers were also fired from the force following Nichols' death. They have not yet been charged with a crime, and it is not known if they are among the officers Sink expects will face charges.