A photo of Tyre Nichols is displayed outside the sanctuary during church service at Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church on January 29, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Four of five former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who was handcuffed, brutally beaten and ignored by first responders for crucial minutes despite being barely conscious, can no longer work as law enforcement in Tennessee.The Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission, or P.O.S.T., voted Friday to decertify Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith.
The state panel also approved the decision by Desmond Mills to surrender his certification.The former officers have 30 days to appeal.The beating of the 29-year-old Black man happened during a late night traffic stop Jan.
7. The commission subsequently released documents showing that Haley dragged Nichols from his vehicle and never explained why he was stopped, and that he also took photos of Nichols slumped against the car after he was pummeled by officers and sent the pictures to colleagues.RELATED: Officer drew gun as he approached Tyre Nichols, report findsNichols died at a hospital Jan.
10.Early police accounts minimized the violence of the traffic stop — accounts since disproven by witness statements and police and surveillance video — and their specialized unit was disbanded.