Federal trial opens in Tyre Nichols case

Jury selection began Monday, Sept. 9, in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died following a brutal beating by police in January 2023. The incident, captured on police cameras, ignited protests and calls for police reform nationwide.Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith face charges of using excessive force, failing to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering. All three have pleaded not guilty.On January 7, 2023, the police allegedly pulled over Nichols for alleged reckless driving. After being removed from his car, Nichols attempted to flee on foot. Officers caught up with him and violently assaulted him, as shown in police body camera footage. Nichols died in the hospital three days later from his injuries. The autopsy revealed that he died from blunt force trauma to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.The three officers on trial and two other officers—Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr.—were members of the Memphis Police Department’s now-disbanded SCORPION Unit, a specialized crime suppression team. All five officers were fired after the incident and were later charged with second-degree murder in state court. Mills...