28 January 2023 , 23:43
725
0
The Memphis police chief has disbanded the city's so-called Scorpion unit involved in the violent arrest that led to the death of Tyre Nichols.
The decision reverses an earlier statement that the unit — composed of three teams of about 30 officers who target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime — would be kept intact.
The special unit had been inactive since Nichols' fatal arrest on January 7, during which five officers from Scorpion, which stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods, savagely beat the 29-year-old FedEx worker.
Police Director Cerelyn "CJ" Davis said she listened to Nichols' relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision.
Tyre Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on January 7 (Adrian Sainz/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Referring to "the heinous actions of a few" that cast "a cloud of dishonor" on the unit, Davis said it was imperative that the department "take proactive steps in the healing process."
Tragedy as 13-month-old boy dies after the stolen car he was in crashed
"It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit," she said in a statement. She said the officers currently assigned to the unit agreed "unreservedly" with the step.
Davis told the Associated Press on Friday that she would not shut down a unit if a few officers commit "some egregious act" and because she needs that unit to continue to work.
Five officers accused of Nichols' murder were part of the Scorpion unit (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)She said: "The whole idea that the Scorpion unit is a bad unit, I just have a problem with that".
But protesters marching through downtown Memphis cheered when they heard that a U-turn on the decision had been made.
The permanent disbanding of the unit comes just a day after horrifying video footage of the moment Nichols was beat by police was released to the public.
The shocking footage shows the five officers - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith - repeatedly punch, kick and hit Nichols with a baton as he calls out for his mum.
Footage of the arrest has been released to the public (Memphis Police Force)Nichols' body was then left propped up against a cop car as the officers - who now face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder - exchanged fist bumps.
Davis has said other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two deputies have been relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated.
Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said the family would "continue to seek justice" and noted that several other officers failed to render aid, making them "just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows."
A Memphis police spokeswoman declined to comment on the role played by other officers who showed up at the scene.
Outrage as abandoned baby found in pram on beach, with mum off for a coffee