UNITED STATES NEWS

Tennessee commission holds off on decertifying former officer charged in Tyre Nichols death

May 18, 2023, 11:47 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee commission that enforces standards for police recommended Thursday that proceedings to bar an officer charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols from serving in state law enforcement be suspended until his legal case is resolved.

A panel of the Tennessee Police Officer Standards and Training Commission in Nashville agreed to a request by a lawyer for former Memphis officer Tadarrius Bean to hold off on any recommendation to strip Bean of his state police certification.

Bean, 24, is one of five officers charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and other offenses in Nichols’ death. He has pleaded not guilty, as have the other four officers, and their case is being handled in Shelby County Criminal Court.

Lawyer Timothy Taylor asked the commission to place Bean’s certification on inactive status as his criminal case proceeds. Should the case’s result be favorable for Bean, he could apply for reinstatement to the Memphis Police Department with his certification in place, Taylor said.

If Bean fails to successfully defend himself against the charges, then he would be subject to official decertification by the commission, Taylor said.

The full commission is set to vote Friday on the recommendation.

Nichols was pulled out of his car during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and tried to run away from officers before he was punched, kicked and hit with a baton just feet from his Memphis home, according to police video released by the city. The officers said Nichols was stopped for reckless driving, but no proof of that accusation has emerged in video or police documents.

Nichols, 29, died three days later in a hospital. An autopsy report showed he died from blows to the head.

Nichols was Black. All five officers charged also are Black. They have been fired by the Memphis Police Department.

The department asked the commission to bar all five officers from working as police in the state. The commission already has decertified Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith and approved the decision by Desmond Mills to surrender his certification.

Two former officers who were not charged are awaiting a decision on whether they will be barred from working in law enforcement in Tennessee: Preston Hemphill, who was terminated after firing a stun gun at Nichols during the traffic stop; and Dewayne Smith, the supervising lieutenant who arrived on scene after the beating, and who retired instead of being fired.

A seventh police employee who was fired has not been publicly named.

The Nichols case prompted nationwide protests and renewed an intense public discussion about police brutality.

After the officers’ first court hearing Feb. 17, Bean’s attorney in criminal court, John Keith Perry, said Bean was doing his job and asserting multiple times that the officer “never struck” Nichols.

However, Bean admitted to police investigators he punched Nichols two or three times in the face because officers weren’t able to handcuff Nichols. The admission was noted in a filing by the police department to the Tennessee commission.

___

Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee.

United States News

Associated Press

Tropical Storm Ophelia forecast to make landfall early Saturday on North Carolina coast

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia was expected to make landfall on the North Carolina coast early Saturday morning with the potential for damaging winds and dangerous surges of water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Life-threatening flooding caused by the weather system was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, […]

2 hours ago

This Aug. 17, 2021 photo shows Quagga mussels cover the engine of a Bell P-39 Airacobra military pl...

Associated Press

Historians race to find Great Lakes shipwrecks before quagga mussels destroy the sites

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Great Lakes’ frigid fresh water used to keep shipwrecks so well preserved that divers could see dishes in the cupboards. Downed planes that spent decades underwater were left so pristine they could practically fly again when archaeologists finally discovered them. Now, an invasive mussel is destroying shipwrecks deep in the […]

3 hours ago

This image provided by Tulane University shows Nick Spitzer, host of the weekly public radio music ...

Associated Press

Louisiana folklorist and Mississippi blues musician among 2023 National Heritage Fellows

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana folklorist Nick Spitzer and Mississippi blues musician R.L. Boyce are among nine 2023 National Heritage Fellows set to be celebrated later this month by the National Endowment for the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors in the folk and traditional arts. Spitzer and Boyce are scheduled to accept the […]

3 hours ago

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jers...

Associated Press

3rd Republican presidential debate is set for Nov. 8 in Miami, with the strictest qualifications yet

The third Republican presidential debate will be held in Miami on Nov. 8, a day after several states hold off-year elections.

5 hours ago

During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal ...

Associated Press

The fall equinox is here. What does that mean?

The equinox arrives on Saturday, marking the start of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean?

6 hours ago

(AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)...

Associated Press

As migrants overwhelm a Texas border city, others wait in Mexico for appointments to enter the US

Some migrants who arrive at the border stop in Texas only stop for a quick meal before crossing the Rio Grande.

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Mayo Clinic

Game on! Expert sports physicals focused on you

With tryouts quickly approaching, now is the time for parents to schedule physicals for their student-athlete. The Arizona Interscholastic Association requires that all student-athletes must have a physical exam completed before participating in team practices or competition.

...

Ability360

At Ability360, every day is Independence Day

With 100 different programs and services, more than 1,500 non-medically based home care staff, a world-renowned Sports & Fitness Center and over 15,000 people with disabilities served annually, across all ages and demographics, Ability360 is a nationwide leader in the disability community.

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

Tennessee commission holds off on decertifying former officer charged in Tyre Nichols death