3 Ex-Memphis Police Officers Acquitted on All State Charges in Connection with Tyre Nichols' Beating Death

• Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating death in 2023 was caught on camera
• Five Memphis officers had been charged in connection with his death
• Two of them had pleaded guilty to state and federal charges stemming from the killing

Three officers who were present during the brutal killing of a Tennessee man have been found not guilty on all state charges, including murder, stemming from the 2023 case.

Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were among five officers charged in Nichols’ brutal beating outside his mother’s home in January 2023. A jury acquitted them on Wednesday, May 7, following a trial in Memphis, Tenn., the Associated Press reported.

Nichols, a 29-year-old aspiring photographer who loved skateboarding, was stopped by officers for alleged reckless driving on Jan. 7, 2023. However, Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis would claim to CNN soon afterwards they were unable to “substantiate” the reckless driving allegation.

Former Memphis officer Desmond Mills Jr., one of two officers who pleaded guilty to state charges, testified for the prosecution, per AP.

Officers were caught on camera allegedly beating Nichols and laughing as he lay struggling, per the AP.

Footage of Nichols’ killing, which was released by Memphis officials, sparked massive protests across the country.

The three verdicts were a “devastating miscarriage of justice,” said attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who have represented the Nichols family.

“The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve. That brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted,” said Crump and Romanucci in a statement. “Tyre’s life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone.”

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The officers had been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, multiple counts of misconduct and official oppression.

While they were acquitted on the state charges, Smith, Haley and Bean are awaiting sentencing on their conviction on federal charges last year, per AP.