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Three Memphis Officers Acquitted in Tyre Nichols Beating Death

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found not guilty of all state charges, though they still face sentencing for federal convictions related to the 2023 incident.

FILE - A portrait of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz, File
Former Memphis Police Officers Tedarrius Bean, left, and Demetrius Haley, right, two of three former Memphis officers charged with fatally beating Tyre Nichols in 2023, wait in the courtroom during a recess of their trial, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (George Walker IV/Pool)
Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean have pleaded not guilty.
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Overview

  • A Tennessee jury acquitted three former Memphis police officers of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the death of Tyre Nichols after deliberating for two days.
  • Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after being beaten by five officers during a January 2023 traffic stop, sparking nationwide protests and calls for police reform.
  • The three acquitted officers, along with two others who pled guilty, were members of the now-disbanded Scorpion Unit, a crime suppression team under federal investigation for excessive force.
  • All five officers still face federal sentencing, with convictions ranging from obstruction of justice to excessive force; potential sentences include up to life imprisonment.
  • The case has intensified scrutiny of systemic policing issues, with a DOJ investigation concluding that the Memphis Police Department engages in excessive force and racial discrimination.