Officers who beat Tyre Nichols didn't follow police training, lieutenant testifies
A police lieutenant has testified that three former officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols did not comply with Memphis Police Department training policies when they punched, kicked and hit the 29-year-old motorist with a baton after a traffic stop
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols did not comply with Memphis Police Department training policies when they punched, kicked and hit the 29-year-old motorist with a baton after a January 2023 traffic stop, a police lieutenant testified Thursday.
Lt. Larnce Wright offered the testimony during the federal trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, which began Monday.
Also Thursday, jurors for the first time watched footage of Nichols being beaten from a police pole camera and body worn cameras. Wright trained the three men and their two former colleagues, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., who already have pleaded guilty to civil rights violations in the case.
RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, left the courtroom when the violent, expletive-filled video was shown. She has said she has not watched any of the videos of the attack since they were publicly released last year.
