According to Fox News, the arraignment for the five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers accused of being involved in Tyre Nichols’ death will take place in the middle of February.
According to court records, they must show up on February 17 for a “bond arraignment.” Judge James Jones of the Shelby County criminal court will preside over the hearing at 10 a.m. ET.
On January 18, all five formerly employed police officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith—were fired.
Second-degree murder, aggravated assault, act in concert, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression are the seven crimes they are each charged with.
According to a regional criminal defense attorney who was not engaged in the case and talked to Fox News, scheduling the court date over three weeks in advance is common. The attorney pointed out that all five of the former policemen have been released on bail and are no longer in custody.
Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx driver, was allegedly assaulted on January 7 by five Memphis police officers, according to a video released by authorities on Friday. Nichols passed away three days after the arrest in the hospital.
On Saturday, Memphis’ infamous Scorpion team was permanently disbanded by Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, who only 20 months prior had become the city’s first female chief of police.
Two of the five policemen accused of killing Nichols, according to The New York Post, were hired after the Memphis Police Department loosened hiring standards.
Haley and Bean both started working for the department in August 2020, claims NBC News. That happened around two months after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis sparked nationwide anti-police rioting.
Furthermore, two years had passed since the Memphis Police Department modified some of the requirements for becoming a police officer.
According to a 2018 Action 5 story, joining the Memphis police no longer required an associate’s degree or 54 college credits. Work experience of five years would be sufficient.
The Post also noted that eight years ago, Haley, who was a correctional officer at the Shelby County Corrections Department at the time, was charged with beating up a prisoner who had brought in contraband.
Accusations that Haley assaulted Cordarlrius Sledge, who was serving a three-year term for aggravated assault, in May 2015 were refuted in court documents.
After Sledge neglected to give the court the information it needed, the action was dismissed in 2018 before its merits were considered.
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