A sixth Memphis police officer was “relieved of duty” at the same time as the five fired officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols, Memphis Police Department spokesperson Kimberly Elder revealed Monday, according to NPR.
The firing of the five black officers was announced Jan. 20, and they were charged Thursday with offenses including second-degree murder in connection with Nichols’ death, The Associated Press reported. Authorities have not filed any charges against suspended Officer Preston Hemphill, and his lawyer Lee Gerald identified him as the officer whose body camera footage showed Nichols’ original traffic stop, claiming he never went to the scene where Nichols was beaten, according to NPR.
Trucker pleads with protesters to clear the highway as protesters line up and stop traffic. Protesters have shut down the freeway both directions @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/otrJXxFsdD
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The MPD had said Nichols was pulled over for “reckless driving,” and he ultimately died in the hospital three days later. The earliest footage released Friday shows Nichols running away after police removed him from his vehicle in the original traffic stop, while later footage shows officers beating him on another street and moving him up against a car.
Huge protests developed in Memphis Friday night, with demonstrators halting traffic on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. People protested in other major cities including New York and Washington, D.C. as well, NBC News reported.
The Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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