Two More Cops Relieved, EMTs Fired After Beating Death of Tyre Nichols

The emergence of the first white officer involved in the brutal beating death of Tennessee resident Tyre Nichols has added a new wrinkle to the controversial case.

Another two police officers have been relieved of duty and three emergency responders with the local fire department have been fired following the release of shocking footage showing the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

MPD announced Monday that Officer Preston Hemphill was removed in the immediate aftermath of the beatdown police gave to Nichols on January 7. Later, the department said without elaborating that another officer had also been relieved.

Memphis Fire Department said Monday that the employment of Lt. Michelle Whitaker and emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge had been terminated as well.

In total, seven officers have now faced disciplinary action for their role in the deadly encounter. The first five – all Black officers – were fired and charged with second-degree murder the day before video of their brutalization of Nichols was released to the public. Hemphill is the first white officer involved to emerge, and his race has dominated discussions of the incident.

The attorney representing the Nichols family suggested Monday that Hemphill received preferential treatment from his superiors, saying the timing of the release of information about his race and employment status “certainly begs the question why the white officer involved in this brutal attack was shielded and protected from the public eye, and to date, from sufficient discipline and accountability.”