For minutes, several police officers beat the black Tire Nichols during a traffic stop in the US state of Tennessee. He died shortly afterwards. Now three of the ex-police officers have been acquitted on key charges.
Almost two years after the death of African-American Tire Nichols, three former police officers have been found guilty of witness interference. A jury in Memphis, Tennessee, reached the verdict after deliberating for several hours, as US media reported from the courtroom.
The jury returned a mixed verdict in the police brutality case. She acquitted the black ex-police officers of several other charges – including the most serious charge: violating civil rights resulting in death. One of the ex-police officers was convicted in the federal trial on charges of violating Nichols' civil rights resulting in bodily harm – but was acquitted of the more serious charge of causing death.
The other two were found not guilty of all civil rights charges. The sentence is scheduled to be announced in January. Two other police officers have also been charged and are still awaiting sentencing.
However, the three men still face a possible trial in Tennessee state court.
The family was relieved
It was very important that the jury found that all three ex-cops were “involved in some way in a crime,” said Nichols family attorney Ben Crump. “The family is extremely relieved that Tire Nichols' murderers have been arrested and found guilty.”
“This has been a long road for our family,” said Nichol's mother, RowVaughn Wells. “I'm really in shock right now because I still can't believe what happened. But we're glad they've all been convicted and arrested.”
Video shows excessive force by police officers
Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten by police officers during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. He died from his injuries in hospital three days later. The case sparked protests and reignited the debate about police violence in the United States. A video showed the police brutally beating and kicking him. Nichols desperately called for his mother and tried to obey the officers' conflicting commands.
According to ABC, prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert said in her closing argument that the accused police officers laughed and bragged about hitting Nichols. She accused the men of not calling paramedics to the scene because they wanted to get away with their crime and protect themselves.
According to ABC, the defendants' lawyers argued that their clients had not violated Memphis police policy.
