Among the notable guests at the State of the Union address were Tyre Nichols’s parents, who accompanied first lady Jill Biden. This comes as seven more Memphis police officers are under investigation following the deadly beating of the 29-year-old Black father last month. City Attorney Jennifer Sink said Tuesday the officers, who haven’t been identified, will likely be notified of charges by next week.
Meanwhile, the city of Memphis has asked the Justice Department to conduct a review of its police, which would include an assessment of special units and its policies on use of force. In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s killing, Memphis disbanded the SCORPION police unit that the five ex-officers who beat Nichols belonged to; they have all been charged with second-degree murder.
New documents revealed Tuesday one of the officers, Demetrius Haley, took and shared a photo of Nichols as he sat propped against a police car, nearly unconscious, covered in blood and handcuffed. The officer sent the photo to at least five people, including an acquaintance outside the police department. After the beating, the officers also shouted profanities at Nichols and were seen laughing and bragging with each other.
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the same five officers of assaulting another young Black man just three days before their encounter with Nichols. Twenty-two-year-old Monterrious Harris says the officers punched, stomped and dragged him across concrete as they arrested him on January 4.