Police in Memphis, Tennessee, announced Friday that they have fired a sixth officer in the investigation into the fatal beating of Tire Nichols during his arrest for an alleged traffic violation.
Preston Hemphill, who is white, had already been suspended from his duties following the incident and has now been fired after it was determined that he had committed “multiple violations” of police department policies, the police force announced in a statement.
Specifically, Hemphill is accused of various administrative offenses, among other misconduct and falsehood when informing his superiors about what happened.
The other five officers who have been fired – all of them African-American – are in custody and face various criminal charges in the death of Nichols, who was arrested on January 7 in Memphis.
Video of the arrest, released on January 27, shows that the policemen detained the young man, forcibly removed him from the vehicle and beat him, kicking him in the head, hitting him with a baton and even using a stun gun. electric or taser
When the beating was over, they dragged Nichols to a patrol car, sat him on the ground and bumped fists in celebration.
The brutality of the arrest, which led to his death three days later, has revived calls by protesters and members of Congress for a culture change in US police, accused of using force disproportionately against the black community.
With information from EFE
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