District attorney drops more than 30 cases worked by former officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols

A district attorney in Tennessee said his office has dropped dozens of cases involving the five former officers who have been charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols.

Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy released a statement Thursday saying the office reviewed more than 100 cases and that at least 30-40 have been dismissed.

Charges were also reduced in about a dozen other cases involving the former Memphis Police officers, the district attorney’s statement said. Four cases were referred to the US attorney’s office for allegations of excessive force.

The Memphis Police Department terminated five police officers in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols including Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith.

They were all charged with second-degree murder and plead not guilty.

The 7 January beating death of the 29-year-old Nichols was caught on video and was just one in a string of violent encounters between police and Black people that sparked protests and renewed debate about police brutality and police reform in the US.

The officers were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion. They punched Nichols, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death, though members of the unit have been moved to other teams.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice said it is investigating how Memphis Police Department officers use force and conduct arrests.