Three former Memphis police officers were acquitted Wednesday on all charges in state court in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man whose violent beating after a traffic stop drew national attention. The jury found Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, and Justin Smith not guilty of second-degree murder and other charges. Nichols, a FedEx employee, was driving home from work when he was stopped and later beaten by officers. The trial jury was selected from the Chattanooga area to avoid local bias. This case marked the second trial for the three men. Last fall, they were found guilty of witness tampering in a separate federal trial. Haley was also convicted of violating Nichols’s civil rights by causing bodily injury. However, federal jurors did not convict them of causing Nichols’s death. Sentencing in the federal case is expected later this year. Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing the Nichols family, condemned the state court verdict. “Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” they said. “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve. That brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted.”
They added, “Tyre’s life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone.” The attorneys thanked supporters who have stood with the family and called for continued pressure for police accountability. “Let this be a rallying cry: we must confront the broken systems that empowered this injustice and demand the change our nation –– and Tyre’s legacy –– deserves.” Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), also denounced the verdict, calling it “outrageous.” In February 2023, Sharpton delivered Nichols’s eulogy in Memphis, where then-Vice President Kamala Harris also called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. “This afternoon I spoke to Tyre’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wells, and we are all completely outraged by this acquittal,” Sharpton said. “Mr. Wells noted in our discussion that the prosecution put on a strong case. My understanding is that this is an all-white jury brought in from Chattanooga, and not even the citizens of Memphis, which is even more egregious to me. It is also absurd that the City of Memphis has taken no responsibility, claiming these officers acted on their own when it was the rough tactics of the since-disbanded VIPER Squad that empowered them to commit this brutal beating as Tyre called out for his mother.” Sharpton added, “Justice can still be delivered. These officers were also convicted on federal charges, for which we believe the justice system must now demand the maximum sentence. Tyre’s death was preventable, inexcusable, and tragic.”
