Key takeaways:
- Five former Memphis police officers have been indicted on second-degree murder charges in connection to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.
- The officers were members of the SCORPION unit, a recently created unit tasked with tackling rising crime in the city.
- The incident has sparked outrage in the city, with many questioning the tactics of the police department and the use of the SCORPION unit.
Five former Memphis police officers have been indicted on second-degree murder charges in connection to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. The indictment comes after the family of the victim viewed police body camera footage of the incident, which they described as “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”
The officers were members of the SCORPION unit, a recently created unit tasked with tackling rising crime in the city. SCORPION, which was launched in 2021, was championed by Mayor Jim Strickland, who mentioned it during an address to the city in January 2022 and proudly pointed to 566 arrests – 390 of which were for felonies – and more than $103,000 in cash seized.
According to the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, and the victim’s stepfather, Rodney Wells, the video showed the officers smoking cigarettes in the moments following the fatal beatdown. The family was stunned by the nonchalant actions of police following the beating.
The incident has sparked outrage in the city, with many questioning the tactics of the police department and the use of the SCORPION unit. Critics have argued that the unit has been ineffective in reducing crime and has instead led to an increase in police brutality.
The Memphis Police Department has yet to comment on the indictment. It is unclear when the body camera footage of the incident will be released to the public.
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