Photo: Getty Images
One of the former Memphis officers facing charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols took a photo of the victim and shared it nearly a dozen times, according to testimony from a cybercrime expert with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
On Wednesday (April 30), TBI Special Agent Derek Miller testified in the trial for former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges in connection to Nichols’ death in January 2023, per the Associated Press.
Nichols, 29, fled a traffic stop after officers yanked him out of his car, pepper-sprayed him, and tased him. When the officers caught up to Nichols, police punched, kicked, and hit him with a baton as he called out for his mother, just steps away from his home.
Video showed the officers talking and laughing about the incident as Nichols struggled. According to Miller, Haley took a photo of Nichols while he was on the ground and leaning against a police car after the beating. Haley allegedly shared the image 11 times and engaged in text conversations about it with eight people.
The trio of officers is facing charges including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. Prosecutors have also argued that the officers failed to intervene in the beating and tell medical personnel that Nichols had been hit in the head.
Former Memphis officers Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin were also charged in Nichols’ death, but are pleading guilty to the state charges and will not stand trial. All five officers are awaiting sentencing for federal charges.
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