Tyre Nichols: Ex-Officers Plead Not Guilty

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Facts

  • On Friday, five former Memphis, Tenn., police officers charged in the January death of 29-year-old Black man Tyre Nichols pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder.1
  • They also pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. They have been released on bond, with their next hearing scheduled for May 1.2
  • The officers — who are themselves Black — were taken into custody on Jan. 26 after bodycam footage appeared to show them pepper spraying, kicking, and punching Nichols after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. The 29-year-old died in the hospital three days later.3
  • The officers were assigned to a specialized street crime unit called Scorpion, formed in 2021 to combat rising crime rates. Though Memphis' mayor credited the unit with a drop in crime, it was disbanded following Nichols' death.1
  • Along with the defendants, a sixth officer was terminated from the department, and a seventh was relieved of his duties as well. Additional officers could receive administrative punishment, and the district attorney said additional charges could be filed.4

Sources: 1New York Times, 2Washington examiner, 3BBC News and 4Abc news.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. As with George Floyd, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, the original police report failed to include Nichols' injuries from the taser, pepper spray, and multiple baton strikes to his body. When it comes to unarmed black victims, the police have a pattern of lying about the threat the so-called suspects posed and then continuing to lie after the fact. This is clearly part of a far larger and deadly pattern in policing in the US.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Townhall. According to some of the nation's most influential newspapers, the reason behind Tyre Nichols' death is racism — an erroneous and senseless diagnosis that promotes dangerous solutions, such as the abolition of police. Those responsible should undoubtedly be held accountable, but the justice system should be left to do this without media extortion that peddles further division.