Two paramedics and a lieutenant from the Memphis Fire Department were fired from their posts for violating policy and protocol in the case involving the death of African-American Tire Nichols, who died after being beaten by five Memphis officers.
Robert Long, JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker failed to properly assess the patient when they arrived on scene and their actions or inactions at the scene that night did not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department, police said Monday.
Long and Sandridge were the ones who assisted Nichols, while Whitaker remained in the vehicle.
The three were called at about 8:31 p.m. to attend to a person who was pepper-sprayed.
Allegedly, the paramedics were guided by the initial information and what they obtained at the scene, without conducting a proper evaluation of the patient.
Preliminary reports of the intervention indicate that the detainee did not receive medical attention until approximately one hour after the beating.
Additionally, a seventh Memphis Police Department officer was suspended. The department has not publicly identified the officer. Nor has he specified the role he played in the intervention or whether he will face administrative or criminal charges.
Previously, the entity announced that officer Preston Hemphill is on administrative leave. At this time, Hemphill has not been charged for the events reported on January 7.
“Officer Preston Hemphill and the actions and inactions of other police officers since the beginning have been and will continue to be part of the investigation,” the department told NBC News.
“We anticipate the next phase of personal actions in the coming days,” they added.
Hemphill’s attorney, Lee Gerald, told USA Today that his client is the third to make the initial stop at Nichols.
“Video one of the body camera material,” the lawyer explained. “He was never present in the second scene. He is cooperating with the authorities in this investigation,” he assured.
In the recording taken from Hemphill’s point of view, officers are heard yelling at Nichols to get out of his vehicle before forcibly removing him. The policemen hold the man on the ground and one of them applies pepper spray to him.
The camera shake is evident as Nichols, who was 29, runs off. At that moment, Hemphill shoots the man with a Taser.
Subsequently, the group of five police officers assault Nichols with their fists, kicks and charges at her with an extendable baton.
The victim, who is survived by a 4-year-old boy, died three days later at the hospital.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., all black, face criminal charges in connection with the events.
The Memphis police announced Saturday that they had decided to dismantle the “Scorpion” unit, to which the officers who carried out the beating belonged. This division was created in 2021 with the aim of reducing violence in certain neighborhoods of the city.
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