A former Memphis police officer, Tadarrius Bean, is on trial for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in January 2023. Bean, along with two other officers, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, have pleaded not guilty to charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering. Bryant McKinney, a friend from the police academy, testified that Bean was a kind-hearted and humble person who did his job “by the book” during their time together at the Memphis Police Department.
The incident involving Nichols began with a traffic stop where officers used pepper spray and a Taser on him, a Black man. Nichols then ran away and was subsequently beaten by the officers, who are also Black, about a block from his home. Video footage shows Nichols being punched, kicked, and hit as he called out for his mother. Despite his pleas for help, the officers appeared to be indifferent to his struggles, with some even laughing as Nichols suffered from his injuries. Nichols passed away three days after the beating while in the hospital.
During the trial, McKinney was questioned about Bean’s actions during the incident and whether his opinions would change if he knew more details, such as Bean holding a person’s hands while another officer struck him or laughing as the person struggled with their injuries. Another defense witness, former Memphis officer Garrett O’Brien, testified about ground fighting and defensive tactics training for officers. O’Brien explained that certain strikes to the head, such as palm strikes, can be used as defensive tactics and are not intended to kill someone.
Although jurors have viewed video evidence of the traffic stop and beating, attorneys have not been allowed to directly interpret the footage with witnesses. Instead, hypothetical situations have been presented to witnesses, including use-of-force expert John Tisdale. Tisdale testified that an officer in Bean’s situation would not face discipline if affected by pepper spray, ran a significant distance in heavy gear, and used force to handcuff an individual. Bean’s defense has argued that he only punched Nichols’ hands in an effort to handcuff him, while prosecutors claim that Bean struck Nichols in the head.
In addition to the federal charges, the five officers involved in the beating of Nichols also face second-degree murder charges in state court. Two former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., who have pleaded guilty to depriving Nichols of his civil rights, are expected to change their pleas in the state court as well. A trial date for the state charges has not yet been set as the legal proceedings against the officers continue. The community in Memphis and beyond is closely following the trial as justice is sought for the tragic death of Tyre Nichols.
