The Memphis Police Department (MPD) announced on January 30, 2023 that two officers have been relieved of duty in connection with the killing of Tyre Nichols. One of these officers is Preston Hemphill. The video footage, released on January 27, has raised questions about Hemphill’s involvement in the encounter. While the five other officers involved have been fired and charged with second-degree murder Hemphill not been fired or charged. But why?
What was Hemphill’s role ?
Credit: Memphis Police Department, via Reuters
Preston Hemphill arrived on the scene just before another officer pulled Mr. Nichols from his car.
The body camera footage from Hemphill, released by the city on Jan 27, shows Hemphill firing a stun gun at Mr. Nichols as he ran away.
He informed a dispatcher that TASER (stun gun) was used, and later informed another officer that one of its prongs had hit Mr. Nichols.
Hemphill’s lawyer, Lee Gerald, claimed that Hemphill was not present at the second scene where officers caught up with Mr. Nichols after a brief foot chase and beat him brutally.
Hemphill is cooperating with officials in the investigation, Gerald emphasized.
26-year-old Hemphill was part of the specialized Scorpion unit that was created to patrol high-crime areas in the city and was with the unit since October 2022. He joined the Police Department in 2020.
It is worth noting that all the officers fired and charged with murder are black and officer Hemphill is white.
Read also: WHAT WAS SCORPION UNIT IN MEMPHIS?
Nichols family demands transparency in Hemphill’s role
Attorneys for Mr. Nichols’ family – Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucchi– have expressed disappointment that Hemphill has been relieved of duty but not fired or charged.
They have called for transparency from the Memphis Police Department and asked why Hemphill’s role in Mr. Nichols’ death is only now coming to light.
Critical background
On the evening of January 7, 2023, Mr. Nichols was stopped by the officers of Scorpion Unit as he was headed to his home. The video footage released on January 27th that captured Mr. Nichols’s interactions with officers showed him being pulled out of his car, and he can be heard saying, “I’m just trying to go home.”
Mr. Nichols fled on foot. Officers caught up to him and he was kicked, struck by a baton and pepper-sprayed. Mr. Nichols at one point screamed, “Mom! Mom! Mom!” He was hospitalized in critical condition and died three days later.
An independent autopsy commissioned by his family found that Mr. Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to preliminary findings.
The killing incident sparked wide protest, and Memphis Police Department announced disbanding of the specialized unit Scorpion on January 28, 2023. Initially, five black officers involved in the encounter were charged with murder and fired.
