In the video released by Memphis, Nichols can be heard screaming for his mom during the confrontation
What to know about SCORPION, the Memphis police unit under review after Tyre Nichols’ death
From CNN’s Chandelis Duster
Some of the five former Memphis police officers accused in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were members of a recently created unit that was tasked with tackling rising crime in the city.
When it was launched in 2021, the SCORPION unit – which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods – was heralded as a direct response to some of the city’s worst crime. Mayor Jim Strickland championed the unit, mentioning it during an address to the city in January 2022 and proudly pointing to 566 arrests – 390 of which were for felonies – and more than $103,000 in cash seized.
“Statistically, crime was off the hook. Tactically, it was the logical move for a police department to create SCORPION,” according to CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller. “These units are sent to areas where the police are tracking upticks in violent crime.”
Miller said “targeted deployments can have a good impact” but noted there could be issues:
“The problems may lie in three key places: Did they receive specific, tailored training in de-escalation and how to manage events from spinning up too fast? In the selection process, beyond choosing officers who had records of making gun arrests, did they look at their civilian complaint history, use of force histories, and talk with their former supervisors about their fit for this kind of work? Finally, supervision.”
Unit inactivated in wake of Nichols’ death: At least two of the officers charged in Nichols’ death were members of SCORPION, and CNN reported Friday that the unit has been inactivated during a review process by the Memphis Police Department.
Police Major Karen Rudolph told CNN that the unit “has not been disbanded” and that the review encompasses 10 such specialized units “that work similar” to SCORPION.
In a weekly letter to the Memphis community, Strickland also commented on the review.
“It is clear that these officers violated the department’s policies and training. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies, and operations of our specialized units. Since this event happened, the SCORPION Unit has been and remains inactive,” the mayor wrote.
Nichols’ family attorney Antonio Romanucci has called on Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis to disband the unit immediately.
You can read more about the Memphis SCORPION unit here.
CNN’s Don Lemon and Jamiel Lynch contributed reporting to this post.
Attorney says former Memphis officer didn’t cross lines “that others crossed” during Nichols confrontation
From CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz in Memphis
The attorney for former Memphis police officer Desmond Mills Jr. put out a statement following the release of video Friday night that showed the traffic stop and violent police confrontation that led to the death of Tyre Nichols.
Attorney Blake Ballin said the videos “produced as many questions as they have answers,” specifically regarding his client’s involvement during the fatal encounter, adding that Mills arrived later than other officers and that his vision was impaired by the pepper spray used during the traffic stop.
“Some of the questions that remain will require a focus on Desmond Mills’s individual actions; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see when he arrived late to the scene; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see after he was pepper sprayed; and on whether Desmond’s actions crossed the lines that were crossed by other officers during this incident,” Ballin said.
Mills is one of the five former Memphis officers indicted on murder and kidnapping charges in connection with Nichols’ death. All five officers were also fired for the actions during the incident.
“We are confident that the questions of whether Desmond crossed the lines that others crossed and whether he committed the crimes charged will be answered with a resounding no,” Ballin said.
Protesters blocked traffic on a bridge near downtown Memphis Friday night
From CNN’s Dave Alsup
A group of protesters shut down the Interstate 55 bridge near downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday night, according to a CNN team on scene.
The group of about 200 protesters marched from Martyrs Park, on the southern end of downtown, to the bridge. The structure connects the city to the state of Arkansas.
By about 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET), the group had blocked all lanes on the bridge.
Memphis police asked drivers to avoid the area of I-55 and the Arkansas Bridge. Officers had trouble approaching the group because of long lines of traffic separating law enforcement from the demonstrators. Several big rigs were stuck, sitting idle as protesters blocked the lanes.
The demonstration came as CNN and other news outlets publicly played video of Tyre Nichols’ beating by police for the first time.
The crowd could be heard chanting, “No justice, no peace,” and “They’re taking our lives, we’re taking their money.”
By about 11 p.m., the crowd had diminished to around 100 people, and they seemed to be dispersing, according to Memphis Police Department spokesperson Louis Brownlee.
Brownlee said no arrests stemmed from the demonstration.
3 demonstrators arrested in New York City after mostly peaceful protests Friday night
From CNN’s Mark Morales
Three demonstrators were arrested Friday night in Times Square, one of whom was seen jumping on the hood of a police vehicle and breaking the windshield, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed to CNN.
The person who allegedly broke the vehicles windshield was charged with criminal mischief. There were no further details related to the other two arrests.
Protests in New York City were largely peaceful despite the three arrests and some minor clashes between police and protesters in the city.
Court date set for former Memphis police officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols
From CNN’s Mark Morales
All five former Memphis Police officers indicted in the killing of Tyre Nichols will be arraigned Feb. 17, Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Public Information Officer Kevin Phipps told CNN.
They will be arraigned at 10 a.m. ET before Judge James Jones, Phipps said.
All five are expected to be arraigned together, Phipps said, adding that Jones will allow cameras in the courtroom. The former officers are currently free on bond.
Video appears to show Nichols hit by police at least 9 times in under 4 minutes. Here’s what we know.
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
Editor’s note: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence.
City officials on Friday evening released more than an hour of footage showing the deadly confrontation between Tyre Nichols and Memphis police officers earlier this month. The released materials included three body camera videos and one overhead surveillance video.
The five officers involved in the arrest were fired after an internal investigation and are facing criminal charges, including second-degree murder. Following the release of the video Friday night, two deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office have been put on leave pending an investigation, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement.
According to the footage, the incident starts to unfolds from 8:24 p.m. CT, when officers initially stopped Nichols, to 9:02 p.m. CT, when an ambulance finally appears on camera to take Nichols to the hospital.
All times are approximate, but here’s a look at the timeline in the video:
- 8:24 p.m.: The body camera worn by an officer shows the first contact police have with Nichols on Jan. 7. Multiple officers can be seen approaching Nichols’ vehicle, drawing their firearms and yelling for Nichols to get out of the vehicle. “You’re gonna get your head blown the fuck up,” one officer yells. Nichols is pulled from the car and forced to the ground amid aggressive shouting and threats of being tasered. “I’m just trying to go home,” Nichols says. “I’m not doing anything.”
- 8:25 p.m.: One officer sprays Nichols in the face with pepper spray. Nichols then struggles to his feet and begins running from the officer as one another shoots a taser at him that apparently didn’t make contact. Seven minutes later, another group of police officers announce over the radio that they see Nichols and begin to pursue him on foot.
- 8:32p.m.: From body-worn camera footage, two officers can be seen on top of Nichols. Nichols is trying to speak but one of the officers tells him to “shut the fuck up.” Officers continue to hit and spray Nichols, struggling with him on the ground and telling him to give them his hands. Nichols keeps yelling “mom.”
- 8:34 p.m.: One officer tells the other police officers to “watch out,” then pulls out a collapsible police baton and yells at Nichols, “I’m going to baton the fuck out of you. Give me your fucking hands.” A police surveillance camera mounted high up on a pole captured the officer hitting Nichols multiple times with the baton. Nichols struggled back to his feet as he was being hit with the baton. Footage shows the officers continue to try to pull Nichols to the ground, punching him in the face repeatedly before Nichols falls back to his knees. Two officers can be seen on top of Nichols as he lays flat on the ground.
- 8:36 p.m.: More officers run onto the scene and two officers kick Nichols. A minute later the officers finally move away from Nichols, who continues to lay on the ground, writhing occasionally, with his hands behind his back.
- 8:38 p.m.: The officers eventually drag Nichols and prop him against a police car, occasionally flashing their flashlights on him as they mill about the area. Two officers fist-bump a minute later. At times, Nichols slumps over on his side on the ground.
- 8:41 p.m.: Two medical personnel with equipment arrive at the scene. In body worn camera footage, one person can be heard saying, “It’s going to be a while for an ambulance.” Footage shows that 21 minutes pass from when paramedics appear to arrive at 8:41 p.m. to when an ambulance finally pulls into view of the camera at 9:02 p.m.
Watch the most critical moments here:
Source: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/tyre-nichols-memphis-news-1-28-23/index.html
