(Reuters) – A jury in a Tennessee state court on Wednesday acquitted three former Memphis police officers of second-degree murder and all other charges in the 2023 beating death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols.
Jurors acquitted Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith of the charges in the case. They were also found not guilty of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
The death of Nichols, 29, a skateboarder and photographer, sparked outrage after police video showed five Black officers kicked, punched, pepper-sprayed and struck the young father with a baton on Jan. 7, 2023 as he called for his mother. He died in a hospital three days later.
Nichols’ death led to nationwide protests and renewed calls for police reform, coming after other police killings of Black men raised questions about racism and police misconduct in the United States, including the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
The verdict was handed down days after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on “strengthening and unleashing America’s law enforcement” that calls for a review of police reform agreements and condemns efforts to “demonize law enforcement and impose legal and political handcuffs.”
In December, during President Joe Biden’s term, the U.S. Justice Department released the results of a 17-month investigation that found the Memphis Police Department used excessive force and discriminated against Black people.
The three former officers also went on trial in federal court and got a mixed verdict. A jury convicted them of witness tampering but cleared them of the most serious charges. They have not yet been sentenced. Two other former officers pleaded guilty to federal charges. All were fired by the Memphis Police Department.
Video evidence showed police pulled Nichols from his car, pushed him to the ground and threatened to use a Taser, spray and beat him as they held him down. Nichols broke free and ran away before police caught up to him again and the beating took place.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York)
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