The federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols is set to begin with jury selection on Monday. The officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, face charges of violating Nichols’ civil rights through excessive force, failing to intervene, and obstructing justice by tampering with witnesses.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died in January 2023, three days after being beaten by police during a traffic stop. The violent encounter, captured on police cameras, sparked widespread protests and calls for police reform.
Nichols had been pulled from his car and ran from officers before they caught up with him and severely beat him. Video footage showed officers kicking, punching, and striking Nichols with a baton, while he called for his mother just a block from his home.
Around 200 potential jurors will be considered for the trial, which is expected to last three to four weeks. The Nichols family is anticipated to attend. Nichols had worked at FedEx and enjoyed skateboarding and photography. His death, confirmed as a homicide by an autopsy report, resulted from blunt force trauma to the head.
The three officers on trial, along with two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., were fired for violating Memphis Police Department policies. They were part of the SCORPION unit, a crime suppression team disbanded shortly after Nichols’ death.
All five officers were initially charged with second-degree murder in state court and pleaded not guilty, with federal charges following in September 2023.
Mills and Martin have since pleaded guilty to federal charges and could testify in the upcoming trial. Mills was the first to reach a plea deal, agreeing to cooperate in both federal and state investigations.
Martin followed suit in August, pleading guilty to charges of excessive force and witness tampering. The state trial date has yet to be set.
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