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The Memphis Fire Department on Friday said it had fired two emergency medical technicians and an emergency vehicle driver who responded to the brutal police beating of Tire Nichols, saying the investigation had found they failed to provide adequate medical care.
Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker, arrived at the hospital in critical condition on January 7, after several officers punched and kicked him and hit him with a baton, and died three days later from his injuries.
EMTs Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge “failed to perform adequate patient assessment” when they saw the injured Nichols minutes after police stopped beating him, Fire Chief Gina Sweat said in a statement.
Michelle Whitaker, a lieutenant in the fire department, drove to the scene and remained in the vehicle after arriving. He was also fired for violating department policy, the statement said.
Earlier on Friday, the Memphis Police Department said it had suspended six officers while the investigation into the beating death of Tyrus Nichols was opened last week, disclosures that came a day after five other officers were charged with the murder of a Black man.
6 police officers suspended, role unclear
The suspended officer – identified as Preston Hemphill – was relieved of duty with pay pending a hearing, the Memphis Police Department said. No criminal charges have been announced against Hemphill, who has worked for the department since 2018. A spokeswoman declined to comment on why the suspension was not announced earlier.
Five officers who were fired – all Black – were charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression in the death of Nichols three days after he was beaten after a traffic stop. Hemphill is white.
On Friday, the department released footage from body-worn and utility pole cameras showing officers kicking, punching and hitting Nichols with a baton in his mother’s neighborhood after a traffic stop.
Theresa Carlson, a spokeswoman for the department, declined to comment on Hemphill’s specific involvement in the events that led to the attack.
One of the four videos includes footage from Hemphill’s body camera, the New York Times reported, citing a statement from his attorney, Lee Gerald. Reuters could not immediately reach Gerald for comment.
Gerald told the Times that Hemphill was there for the traffic stop but not in the beating, which took place at another location after Nichols fled.
“He was never at the second scene,” Gerald said, noting that Hemphill cooperated with the investigation.
In one video, officers are seen using a Taser on Nichols as another officer holds him to the ground and gives conflicting commands.
Hemphill has been identified as the officer who used the Taser on Nichols, according to at least two local TV stations.
The delay prompted new criticism
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the Nichols family, criticized the department for not firing Hemphill and not disclosing his involvement. He also criticized prosecutors for not charging Hemphill.
“Today’s news from Memphis officials that Officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly relieved of duty last week, but has not been terminated or charged, is deeply disappointing,” Crump said Monday in a statement. “Why is his identity and the role he played in Tire’s death now known?”
Over the weekend, protesters gathered and called for police reform in Memphis and other cities, from New York City to Sacramento, California, where Nichols once lived.
The peaceful demonstrations contrasted with violent scenes that unfolded after a bystander’s video of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis shocked the country.
The Memphis branch of the NAACP on Sunday called for all officers and first responders involved in Nichols’ death to be held accountable.
Some of the officers involved in the beating were part of the Scorpion unit, a special police unit that has three teams of about 30 street officers that target violent offenders in high-crime areas.
The department disbanded the unit on Saturday.
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