Five officers involved in the Tyre Nichols murder have been charged, along with a sixth officer fired for involvement

The five officers that were involved in the brutal beating and killing of Tyre Nichols have all been charged with murder and kidnapping on January 26th, 2023, according to Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr. all have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression.

These charges followed the massive riots that occurred across the country, along with the release of the body cam footage and CCTV footage from the night of the attack. The video in question showed all five officers pulling and beating Tyre Nichols while yelling at him to stop resisting, pushing them into each other while they take turns beating him mercilessly. Lawyers for both Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin say that they have not watched the video yet, but do say that those accused are "devastated" by the accusations of murder, with Martin's attorney even going as far as to say that “No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die".

Another Officer involved in the murder has been relieved of his duties as of February 3rd, 2023. Officer Preston Hemphill was fired from the force on Friday following the release of the footage of the attack, and was the first person to approach Nichols on that horrific night. Preston supposedly chased Nichols after the traffic stop, deploying his taser for use before turning back to the stop.

For weeks we had heard nothing about the case, other than the fact that Nichols had succumbed to his injuries, and the officers involved were all fired, and being investigated. In the past these investigations would take months before any real punishment was involved, and sometimes we would even see them get put on administrative leave, allowing these officers to collect their pension and leave with the benefits they wouldn't get if they were fired or arrested.

We are seeing nowadays the effects of holding our police force responsible for their crimes, especially when it comes to brutalities against the innocent, those they are supposed to protect. Many media sites and channels called for peaceful protests involving this issue, knowing that if it isn't called out and dealt with now, that those who choose to fight for their right to live safely will do so by any means necessary. The news also showing the footage gives us a good idea that we as a country are stepping in the right direction, as these channels are holding these people accountable before people start to question where their punishment is. Most should see these arrests and an achievement, although we shouldn't completely believe and take the side of most media, as this is just one instance of a criminal beating and killing by officers being taken seriously and dealt with in an appropriate manner.

Mass media plays a huge role in our justice system, as it allows us to fully see and hear all facts and evidence on cases that before would've lived and died in the town they happened in. Thirty to fourty years ago, this kind of crime wouldn't have been reported, and Tyre Nichols would've become nothing more than just a statistic, but with the help of mass media and those keeping up with the case while news channels barely cover it, we finally get to see the fruits of our labor, and those that need to be punished finally are.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-officer-involved-tyre-nichols-arrest-fired-source/story?id=96887426

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/us/tyre-nichols-memphis-thursday/index.html