A Memphis jury acquitted three former police officers on Wednesday of all charges related to the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten to death in 2023.
The officers pulled Nichols over on January 7, 2023, as he drove home from the park. The situation quickly escalated into a vicious beating caught on several cameras. The footage circulated on social media and elicited national outrage.
A federal judge convicted each of the former officers, so this verdict will likely not save them from serving time in prison.
From The New York Times:
It was the second trial for the three men — Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith — who were accused of fatally beating Mr. Nichols, a FedEx employee who had been driving home from work when he was stopped by officers more than two years ago.
The verdict was a sharp contrast from the outcome of the defendants’ federal trial last fall. The three were found guilty of witness tampering charges in that case, but acquitted of a more serious charge, violating Mr. Nichols’s civil rights by causing his death. Federal jurors also found Mr. Haley guilty of violating Mr. Nichols’s civil rights by causing bodily injury.
The jury in the state case, seated from the Chattanooga area in eastern Tennessee to ensure a fair trial, deliberated more than eight hours after a seven-day trial in state court.
Sentencing in the federal trial is expected later this year.
The three former officers were emotional after the verdict was read on Wednesday, with Mr. Haley appearing to cry. Mr. Nichols’s mother, RowVaughn Wells, who gave wrenching testimony about the injuries that her son sustained, did not show any emotion.
Shortly after pulling Nichols over for speeding, the officers attempted to arrest him. He managed to pull away and tried to flee. The five officers caught up with the victim and began beating him. Surveillance footage showed five officers restraining, kicking, and punching Nichols repeatedly — even when he tried to comply.
Recommended
💢I'm at a loss for words.
— 🩸🇺🇲We R n0t Da SaMe🇺🇲🩸 (@WeAreNotDaSame1) May 7, 2025
I remember being in shock and angry watching this live. And thinking there is no way these tyrants getting off.
I'm confused. Maybe somebody can help me understand.
Tyre Nichols was beaten so viciously he was calling out for his mother. The… pic.twitter.com/ptj2hvvMin
At one point, officers can be seen punching him as one of the officers holds him from behind. Another officer struck him multiple times with a baton. After they finished the assault, they left him slumped against a vehicle for a few minutes before calling for medical assistance.
Nichols succumbed to his injuries three days later.
The police department quickly fired the officers after the footage surfaced and dissolved the SCORPION unit to which they belonged. A Justice Department investigation later revealed an extensive pattern of excessive force and discriminatory treatment against Black residents. Nichols and each of the officers were Black.
So this was the man who killed Tyre Nichols, with his dirt bag lawyers with him? Despite what we saw on video, the other officers were acquitted, except the one who hit Tyre with that baton. Convicted in federal court, acquitted in state court. Everybody pointed at this guy. pic.twitter.com/IUn5F0WyVN
— Moe Dimanche (@MoeDimanche) May 7, 2025
The officers’ attorneys argued that their clients’ actions were an appropriate approach against someone who had tried to flee from police, according to The New York Times.
“It’s not a case where they’re abusing the badge and trying to go out there and prove a point or to try to kill somebody,” said John Keith Perry, a lawyer for Mr. Bean.
Lawyers for Mr. Bean and Mr. Smith also summoned character witnesses, arguing that the defendants had been otherwise upstanding members of the police force. And they sought to cast Mr. Nichols, whose car contained small amounts of marijuana and psilocybin mushroom, as well as stolen ID cards, as a formidable opponent who was able to resist larger police officers.
“That’s sort of the really tragic part of this whole entire case,” said Stephen R. Leffler, a lawyer for Mr. Haley. “Had Mr. Nichols pulled over when he got the blue lights and submitted to the officers’ questioning or whatever, in all likelihood, they wouldn’t have arrested him.”
🚨BREAKING: Memphis police officers found not guilty of all state charges in Tyre Nichols beating death.
— Rev. Damien Thaddeus Jones (@NobleNegroe) May 7, 2025
I’m shocked. pic.twitter.com/7J4An4D9IY
Each of the officers convicted at the federal level could be facing up to 20 years in prison. Nichols left behind one child.
Tennessee state Rep. Torrey Harris released a statement saying he was “shocked and surprised, as ‘liberty and justice for all’ proved to be empty words on a paper.”
State Sen. London Lamar also expressed his shock at the verdict.
We all saw the video. We saw Tyre cry out for his mother. We saw officers act without humanity or restraint. This case was supposed to show that police can be held accountable. Instead, this jury’s decision leaves too many of us wondering if justice is ever possible.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member