(AP) – Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother while Memphis police beat him after a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023, about a block from where he lived with his parents. The 29-year-old died in the hospital three days afterward.
More than a year and a half later, three former officers are facing a federal criminal trial over the deadly pummeling. That’s in addition to allegations that they offered essentially no help as he slumped on a patrol car and onto the pavement, and claims that they lied or left out critical information to protect themselves from repercussions of the beating.
Two other former officers have already pleaded guilty and could testify against their former fellow officers.
The trial will heighten attention on a case that has already sparked outrage around the world and intensified calls for police reform in the city and the U.S.
In an analysis of what the officers claimed happened on that night, The Associated Press sifted through hundreds of pages of evidence and hours of video from the scene, including officer body cameras. What follows is a visual comparison for four key moments.
What Officers Said:
Memphis police officers Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Preston Hemphill were the first three officers to encounter Tyre Nichols after pulling him over for what they said was reckless driving. Haley wrote in his response to resistance form that Nichols “ignored all directives” to get out of the car. Haley wrote that Nichols was “swinging his arms” and cursing at the officers.
What The Video Shows:
But on the body worn camera footage, Nichols was immediately yanked from the vehicle by the officers, while the officers are swearing and shouting and threatening to tase Nichols. The video shows that Nichols is forced down on his knees, while he tries to calmly tell the officers, “I am on the ground.”
What Officers Said:
Much later after Nichols has been badly beaten and left for dead, Martin recounts the initial arrest attempt for other officers, claiming that Nichols had been swinging his arms and reaching for one of the officers’ guns.
What The Video Shows:
Video shows officers recounting the initial arrest.
Nichols is physically overpowered by three officers who are using a Taser and pepper spray on him. They are controlling both his arms at one point, physically pushing him to the ground. One officer is behind his back and another holding Nichols’ arm out in front of him. The officers are shouting curses and threatening violence while Nichols is unarmed and has not shown any signs of violence.
What The Video Shows:
The video shows how they are controlling his hands, pushing him to the ground. There’s a taser pointed at his back.
The video shows one hand behind his back, another being pinned to the ground in front of him.
Moment 2: Soft Hands VS Excessive Force
Additional Memphis officers Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith join the attack on Nichols after he was caught just blocks from reaching his parents’ home.
What Officers Said:
Haley, Bean and Smith all described in their response to resistance forms that the officers used “soft hands” techniques to subdue Nichols – Haley, during the traffic stop; and Bean and Smith, at the scene of the beating.
“Soft hands” is a technique described in Memphis police guidelines as “escort controls, touch pressure points, wrist or arm locks and take down techniques that have a minimum chance of injury.”
The incident report only mentions that officers used chemical agents and a baton against Nichols, omitting the kicks, punches and slaps while his arms were held or restrained.
What The Video Shows:
Multiple videos show a starkly different encounter than what officers describe — an almost 3-minute barrage of fists, feet and baton strikes to Nichols’ face, head, front and back, as officers restrain him.
The officer’s camera falls off and lands near where Tyre Nichols is laying and they are all leaning over him as they pepper spray him in the face.
This is Nichols’ perspective of what is happening to him.
Moment 3: Deliberate Indifference
As Nichols is propped on the side of a car bleeding after the beating, Memphis police officers gather nearby as they wait for emergency medical services to arrive.
What Officers Are Charges With:
Bean, Haley and Smith are charged with acting with “deliberate indifference” while Nichols was on the ground, struggling with his injuries. The indictment said the officers “willfully” disregarded Nichols’ medical needs by failing to give him medical care, and not telling a police dispatcher and emergency medical personnel that Nichols had been hit repeatedly. The officers have pleaded not guilty.
What The Video Shows:
Smith’s body worn camera shows that he and another officer exchange a high five, steps away from Nichols. On the aerial video, two officers fist bump each other.
Bean’s body worn camera shows officers speculating that Nichols is high.
Meanwhile Nichols appears to be falling out of consciousness, slumping over and not responding when officers try to pull him upright again.
On this body worn camera from Bean, the officers brag about the assault and laugh.
Moment 4: Mother’s Questions Unanswered
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, is only a few blocks away at her home from where Nichols is brutally beaten, but Memphis officers mislead her and don’t answer her questions.
What Officers Said:
On Officer Desmond Mills’ body camera, Lt. Dewayne Smith and Mills go to Nichols’ home where he lives with his parents, just blocks from where he is laying bleeding. His parents ask what Nichols is in custody for.
Lt. Smith tells them he was arrested for a DUI and that Nichols was “intoxicated.”
In another interaction, Hemphill tells Nichols’ mother that he fought with officers and another officer tells her that he had “unbelievable strength.”
What The Video Shows:
Wells repeatedly questions the officers about Nichols’ location and they are deceptive about where he is and don’t tell her that he’s been badly beaten.
Hemphill later talks to Nichols’ parents at the scene of the initial traffic stop.
Over the next few minutes, Ms. Wells shares other comments of disbelief.
The Charges and The Trial:
The federal trial won’t be the justice system’s final say on the death of Tyre Nichols.
The three former officers also face charges in Tennessee state courts, where the other two former officers, Mills and Martin, plan to plead guilty, like they have in federal court.
The U.S. Department of Justice is already conducting a “patterns and practices” investigation into how Memphis officers use force and conduct arrests, and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.
The Justice Department is also separately reviewing concerning use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units within Memphis police.
A federal lawsuit is still pending from Nichols’ mother, who is seeking $550 million in the case against the city and its police chief.
*Warning: The below video is graphic viewer discretion advised.
