Three former Memphis police officers were acquitted Wednesday of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man fatally beaten after fleeing a traffic stop. The verdict came after a nine-day trial and 8.5 hours of deliberation by a jury from outside Memphis.
Nichols died from blunt force trauma three days after being punched, kicked, and struck with a baton by five officers, all of whom are also Black. Prosecutors said the officers failed to stop the assault or alert medics to the injuries. Video of the beating showed officers laughing as Nichols cried out for his mother.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called the verdict “a devastating miscarriage of justice.” Memphis DA Steve Mulroy expressed shock at the outcome.
The officers still face federal sentencing after partial convictions. Two others, including Emmitt Martin, who was blamed for most of the violence, accepted plea deals. Nichols’ family is suing the city and officers for $550 million.
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