Three former Memphis officers have been cleared of criminal charges over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith were found not guilty on all state charges after a nine-day trial in Tennessee.
Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died after he fled a traffic stop during which he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser.
Five other black police officers caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton.
He died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating, sparking nationwide protests and renewed calls for police reforms in the US.
On Wednesday the three officers were acquitted of state charges, including second-degree murder.
After the jury’s verdict was read, the defendants hugged their lawyers as relatives of the former officers cried. One relative yelled, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’
Three former Memphis officers have been cleared of criminal charges over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith were found not guilty on all state charges after a nine-day trial in Tennessee
Nichols, 29, died after he fled a traffic stop during which he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser
Martin Zummach, Smith’s attorney, told The Associated Press by text: ‘It´s easy to defend a good person. It´s nerve racking to represent an innocent man.’
The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges then, too.
Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court, including Emmitt Martin, who defense attorneys blamed for the majority of the violence.
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