Ttwo deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Memphis, Tennessee, have been relieved of their duties after footage was released of the arrest of Tire Nichols in which officers severely beat him.
Sheriff Floyd Banner Jr. issued a statement a couple of hours after the footage appeared online saying he had “concerns” about two officers who appeared on the scene during the physical confrontation between Memphis police officers and Nichols, a man from 29 years old who was mortally wounded due to the confrontation on January 7.
VIDEO OF OFFICERS PATCHING TIRE FLAT NICHOLS RELEASED
“I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these deputies to determine what happened and whether any policies were violated,” Banner said. “These two deputies have been relieved of their duties pending the outcome of this administrative investigation.”
The statement did not specify what actions the deputies took during the confrontation prompted the investigation. However, the four videos released show officers punching, pepper-spraying and aggressively wrestling Nichols to the ground.
The names of the county deputies have not been released.
Officers are seen surrounding Nichols as he struggles to stay conscious and emergency responders tend to him, discussing with each other his role in the arrest and the various injuries they received during the confrontation. One officer complains of his knee and another of his leg.
The images sparked protests in Memphis, Washington, DC and New York.
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Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith are charged with second degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, aggravated assault in concert and two counts. of aggravated kidnapping.
Haley, Martin and Smith are in jail on $350,000 bond, and Bean and Mills were held on $250,000 bond.