According to disciplinary hearing documents, Haley never told Nichols why he was being pulled over or that he was under arrest.
“\n\nHemphill holsters his firearm.\n\nUnknown Officer\n\n“Get the f**k out the car!”\n\nUnknown Officer\n\n“Get the f**k out the f**king car!”\n\nHaley opens the car door and begins pulling Nichols out.\n\nTyre Nichols\n\n“Damn I didn’t do anything!”\n\nHemphill moves to help Haley, who is still pulling Nichols out of the car.\n\nPreston Hemphill\n\n“Turn your a** around.”\n\nTyre Nichols\n\n“All right!
Once they do, we see Haley pepper spraying Nichols at close quarters and Nichols getting up and sprinting away.
“\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n”B*tch, put your hands behind your back before I break [them]”\n\nTyre Nichols\n\n“OK, stop!”\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n“Imma knock your a** the f**k out!”\n\nTyre Nichols\n\n“You guys are really doing a lot right now.
Martin can be seen punching Nichols in the face five times while his arms are being held by two officers.
Hemphill tased.”\n\n(Inaudible)\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n“Then he was going for my gun, too, so I’m like.”\n\nDemetrius Haley\n\n“He grabbed Martin’s gun on the scene.”\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n“He grabbed my gun and everything.”\n\n(Inaudible)\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n“We got him out the car and we was like, ‘Hey bro, you good?’”\n\nEmmitt Martin III\n\n“Motherf**ker swung.
Almost hit me.”\n\nDemetrius Haley\n\n“He reached for Martin’s gun.
CNN edited out a portion of Mills reacting to the pepper spray.\n\nTyre Nichols\n\n“Mom!”\n\nMills is seen holding a can of pepper spray aiming it at Nichols while he screams.\n\nMills pepper sprays Nichols again, but also hits himself and Martin with it.\n\nMills walks away from Nichols.\n\nAbout a minute later, Mills walks back toward Nichols.\n\nMills expands his baton.\n\nDesmond Mills Jr.\n\n“Watch out, I’mma baton the f**k out of you.
Memphis disbanded the SCORPION unit a day after video of Nichols’ beating was released publicly.
CNN did not receive a response from Demetrius Haley’s lawyer.\n\nRelated content\n\nJanuary 2023\n\nThese are the moments that led to Tyre Nichols’ death | CNN\n\nJanuary 2023\n\nTyre Nichols was a photographer.
Playing the video.
CNN Exclusive Report.
Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating is being examined by the officers on trial.
To find out what truly occurred the night Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten, CNN pieced together body camera and surveillance footage.
Written by CNN’s Yukari Schrickel, Paul Murphy, Claudia Morales, Kenneth Uzquiano, Demetrius Pipkin, Mark Oliver, and Matthew Gannon.
Nine September 2024.
On Monday, September 9, 2024, the federal trial for the officers engaged in Tyre Nichols’ fatal arrest will begin. In order to determine which former Memphis police officers were observed beating, pepper spraying, and attempting to use a Taser on 29-year-old Tyre Nichols during an arrest on January 7, 2023, CNN examined body camera and surveillance footage in addition to disciplinary hearing records. Eleven days later, Nichols passed away.
The incident’s surveillance and police body camera footage has been made public by the City of Memphis. During the initial traffic stop, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III, the officers, neglected to activate their body cameras.
An internal investigation into the actions of these six Memphis Police Department officers that evening resulted in their termination.
Five former officers, Haley, Martin, Bean, Smith, and Mills, were each charged with seven counts by the state of Tennessee. The charges included official misconduct, aggravated kidnapping, second-degree murder, and aggravated assault. According to the indictment, they were also charged with deprivation of rights, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice by a federal grand jury. Before the settlement, Martin and Mills had the five enter guilty pleas to all charges, even though they had previously pleaded not guilty.
Haley, Demetrius.
A Memphis Police officer was fired.
Enter plea of not guilty.
One of the first Memphis police officers to touch Nichols physically was Officer Demetrius Haley.
Haley told investigators during an internal review that he and his partners stopped Nichols for driving recklessly. Haley never informed Nichols that he was being pulled over or that he was under arrest, according to documents from the disciplinary hearing. Not shown in the videos is the initial police report that stated Nichols “started to fight” with officers and once took hold of one of their guns.
Haley is seen removing Nichols from his car in the video below. She is dressed in a black hoodie.
The disciplinary documents state that Haley had a working body camera at the time of the initial encounter, but he neglected to turn it on.
8:24 p.m. M.
This video includes:.
Haley Demetrius.
Hemphill Preston.
Emmett Martin, Jr.
transcript of a video:.
Officer Preston Hemphill’s body camera is featured in the video.
Walking toward Nichols’s car, Hemphill pulls out his gun.
Officer Demetrius Haley can be seen approaching the driver’s side of Nichols’ car and circumnavigating his own vehicle. At a certain moment, he raises his pistol slightly with his hand before removing it almost instantly.
Nichols’ car’s passenger side window is where Officer Emmitt Martin III is standing.
Unknown Officer.
“It’s going to blow the f**k off your a**!”.
Hemphill puts his gun in his holster.
Unknown Officer.
“Leave the car, f**k!”.
Unknown Officer.
“F**k out of the f**king car, please!”.
Haley starts to remove Nichols from the car after opening the door.
Nichols Tyre.
“Gosh, I did nothing!”.
While Haley continues to remove Nichols from the car, Hemphill moves to assist her.
Preston Hemphill.
“Switch around your ass. “.
Nick Nichols.
“Anything is okay! Everything is okay! Everything is okay!”.
Nichols is difficult for the officers to get on the ground. When they finally do, we witness Nichols getting up and running away as Haley pepper sprays him in close quarters. Later, Haley follows Nichols, but after getting hit by his own pepper spray, he eventually stops to ask for assistance from another policeman.
8:25 P.M. M.
This video includes:.
Demetrius Holden.
Preston Hemphill.
Martin Emmitt III.
Transcript of a video:.
video captured from the body camera of Officer Preston Hemphill.
Nichols is seen being held down by several officers while they give him different orders.
Nichols Tyre.
“I’m down on the ground!”.
Hemphill Preston.
“On your abdomen.”.
Unknown Officer.
“Hold your hands behind your head.”.
Nick Nichols.
“Please tell me that I am.”.
Haley, Demetrius.
I’m getting ready to spray him. I’m spritzing him. “.
Unknown Officer.
“Spray him.”. “.
Haley use pepper spray on Nichols.
Nick Nichols.
“Cease, I’m not doing this.”.
They fight, but something blocks the view of the camera.
As he attempts to get away from the cops, Nichols is seen stumbling on his feet.
Unknown Officer.
“Stop him!”.
Hemphill triggers his stun gun.
Nichols removes his shirt as he rushes around Martin and takes off.
Haley walks after Nichols.
Note: Tyre Nichols’ approximate path on January 7, 2023, is depicted on this map. Before being caught, Nichols was heard running south on Ross Road, according to police radio traffic.
Surveillance footage from the second scene, taken a little over ten minutes later, shows Haley arriving as two officers try to handcuff Nichols. Haley gives Nichols a upperbody kick. According to disciplinary records, he later told investigators that he was attempting to loosen Nichols’ arm. But instead of trying to help the cops handcuff Nichols, he turns to leave.
8:30 P.M. M.
No audio is present in this video clip.
This video includes:.
Demetrius Lee Haley.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
Transcript of a video:.
footage captured by a security camera that was pointing down at a street corner.
Nichols is being restrained on the ground by three officers, one of whom, Martin, then moves aside as a fourth officer stands a few feet away and looks on.
From the right side of the frame, two additional officers come into view.
Documents detailing the disciplinary action reveal that the first officer to arrive, Haley, is seen kicking Nichols in the upper body.
Martin can be seen kicking Nichols right after Haley does.
Several minutes later, Nichols is leaning against a car, and Haley appears to shine a light at him and take pictures with his phone. Discipline documents state that Haley acknowledged texting a single photo of Nichols to a minimum of five recipients, including two additional Memphis officers, a civilian employee, and a “female acquaintance”. The documents state that police discovered a sixth recipient of the same photo during an administrative investigation.
8.40 p.m. m.
There is no audio in this video clip.
In this clip:.
Haley Demetrius.
transcript of a video:.
video captured from a street corner surveillance camera.
There are several officers in the area.
A police car leans against Nichols, who is seated with his hands handcuffed behind his back, and one of the officers, Haley, switches on his flashlight and aim it at him.
With his face turned toward the light, Nichols can be seen.
Before turning off his flashlight and leaving, Haley snaps at least one picture with his phone.
Martin Emmitt III.
Police officer in Memphis (fired).
Pleading: Martin entered a guilty plea to federal offenses involving right-taking, tampering with witnesses, and obstruction of justice as part of a settlement agreement. He is currently charged with second-degree murder in his state case; it is unclear if he plans to enter a new plea.
The officers who first stopped Nichols included Officer Emmitt Martin III. As the police close in on Martin’s car and try to take him down on the ground, Martin can be heard threatening Nichols.
8:24 a.m. M.
In this clip:.
Demetrius Lee Haley.
Hemphill Preston.
Martin Emmitt III.
Transcript of a video:.
edited footage captured from Officer Preston Hemphill’s body camera.
At the passenger side of Nichols’ car is Officer Emmitt Martin.
Unknown Officer.
“You’re going to lose the f**k off!”.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
“B*tch, before I break [them], put your hands behind your back.”.
Nick Nichols.
“Okay, give up.”.
Emmett Martin, Jr.
“I’m going to completely destroy your a**!”.
Nichols Tyre.
You folks are working on a lot of projects at the moment. Cease!.”.
Haley Demetrius.
“Bro, take a seat. “.
Nick Nichols.
“All I want to do is get home.”. “.
At some point in the first scene, Nichols flees, and what happens after he is captured by other police is captured on camera in the second scene.
8:34 PM. M. .
In this clip:.
Martin Emmitt III.
Transcript of a video:.
footage captured by a security camera that was pointing down at a street corner. The audio from the surveillance footage and the body camera footage has been synced by CNN.
It appears that two policemen are restraint Nichols.
Nichols is kicked twice by a third officer, who is named as Officer Emmitt Martin in disciplinary records, as the other two officers are unable to restrain him.
Martin takes a step back and observes while the other two cops try again to handcuff Nichols.
Video captures Nichols struggling to stay upright a minute later, just after he was repeatedly struck with a baton by another officer and then hauled to his feet. With two officers holding Nichols’ arms, Martin can be seen striking him five times in the face. Martin gives Nichols another kick after he is on the ground, following a kick from Haley, but neither cop tries to assist in putting Nichols in handcuffs. We can get a fuller picture by fusing the audio from one officer’s body camera with the CCTV footage.
8:30 P.M. M. .
This video includes:.
Haley Demetrius.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
Mills, Desmond Jr.
Transcript of the video:.
Officer Desmond Mills Jr.’s audio and video have been edited together in this video. , using the security footage from the body camera to make a split screen.
Nichols is seen being restrained in the video, with his hands behind his back. Nichols is in a standing position.
Two officers hold Nichols while an officer, identified as Officer Emmitt Martin in disciplinary records, punches him twice in the face.
Unknown Officer.
I want your f**king hands, please.
Martin strikes Nichols’s face with a third punch.
Unknown Officer.
“Hands up!”.
Unknown Officer.
I want your f**king hands, please.
This is Martin’s fourth blow to Nichols’s face.
Unknown Officer.
“Hands up!”.
After Martin gives Nichols a fifth punch to the face, Nichols falls to his knees.
Unknown Officer.
“Hands up!”.
Almost a minute after Haley’s kick, Martin kicks Nichols a third time while he’s on the ground.
Martin and Haley can be heard telling other officers later on in the body camera footage that Nichols had Martin’s gun in the initial altercation and had attempted to take it from him. They also say that during that interaction, Nichols made an attempt to strike them.
Nichols is never seen trying to strike the officers in the body camera footage from the first incident. Summaries of Haley and Martin’s disciplinary hearings stated that their allegations that Nichols reached for Martin’s gun were “deemed untruthful” and that “video evidence did not support” their allegations. “.”.
8:42 PM. M.
This video includes:.
Tadpole Joe.
Demetrius Lee Haley.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
Mills, Desmond Jr.
transcript of a video:.
edited video captured from the body camera of Officer Tadarrius Bean.
Desmond Mills, Jr. .
“I used a spray. He doused himself. Hemphill applied taser. “.
Not audible.
Emmett Martin, Jr.
“Then I realized he was also aiming for my gun, so I thought…”. “.
Haley Demetrius.
As soon as he arrived, he took Martin’s gun. “.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
He took hold of everything, including my gun. “.
Not audible.
Emmitt Martin, Jr.
“We said, ‘Hey bro, you good?'” after he got out of the car.
Martin Emmitt III.
“Motherf**ker made a swing. Bow, you almost got me. “.
Haley, Demetrius.
He made a grab for Martin’s firearm. slammed the door shut on him. From then on, we continued as before. He was holding Martin’s gun, literally. There was a motherf**ker present. “.
Preston Hemphill.
police officer in Memphis (fired).
There will be no criminal charges brought against Hemphill, according to the Shelby County District Attorney.
Preston Hemphill, the officer, was only there during the first stop. Hemphill threw out his Taser as Nichols ran out of the first scene, but it’s unclear from the footage if it hit Nichols.
8:25 p.m. M. .
This video includes:.
Preston Hemphill.
Transcript of a video:.
Officer Preston Hemphill can be seen trying to stun Nichols in a video that was captured from his body camera.
Hemphill can be heard talking to Haley after Nichols left the scene.
8:33 PM. M.
In this clip:.
Demetrius Lee Haley.
Hemphill Preston.
Transcript of a video:.
After the initial traffic stop, footage captured from Officer Preston Hemphill’s body camera is displayed.
Hemphill Preston.
“I wish they would stomp his ass. Smith is yelling for other cars to come because Martin and he are pursuing him. “.
Tadpole Bean.
A Memphis Police officer was fired.
I’m not guilty.
Only at the second location was Officer Tadarrius Bean present. At the opening of the second altercation, he is seen tackling Nichols.
8:32 PM. m.
This video includes:.
Tadpole Joe.
Smith Justin.
transcript of a video:.
footage captured from the body camera of Officer Tadarrius Bean.
Bean can be seen tackling Nichols to the ground and pursuing him on foot.
Tadpole Joe.
“Go to the ground and get the f**k!”.
Nick Nichols.
“Mum.”.
Unknown Officer.
“F**king give me your hands, b*tch!”.
Shortly after, more cops show up and pin Nichols to the ground.
While Nichols is on the ground, Bean and Officer Justin Smith strike him multiple times. During the altercation, Officer Bean’s body camera is knocked to the ground.
8:33 PM. m.
In this clip:.
Desmond Mills, Jr.
Tadpole Bean.
Smith, Justin.
Transcript of the video:.
footage as seen through the body camera of Officer Desmond Mills.
Nichols is restrained to the ground by Bean (on the left) and Smith (on the right).
Desmond Mills, Jr. .
“F**k off!”.
Mills, Desmond Jr.
“I’m going to spray you again. “.
Nichols is being repeatedly struck in the face by Bean (on the left) and Smith (on the right).
Nichols Tyre.
“Mum! Mom!”.
Mills can be seen aiming pepper spray directly at Nichols’ face.
Officers handcuffed Nichols and propped him up against a car a few minutes later.
8:38 PM. M.
This video clip is audio-only.
This video includes:.
Tadpole Bean.
Smith, Justin.
Transcript of the video:.
Images captured by a security camera reveal Bean and Smith dragging Nichols across the concrete and placing him in a seated position against an automobile.
Smith Justin.
police officer in Memphis (fired).
Enter plea of not guilty.
Nichols is seen being punched in the face by Officers Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith shortly after he was taken to the ground at the second location.
8:30 P.M. m.
This video includes:.
Tadpole Joe.
Desmond Mills Jr.
Smith, Justin.
transcript of a video:.
footage as seen through the body camera of Officer Desmond Mills.
Bean (left) and Smith (right) are seen holding Nichols down on the ground.
Desmond Mills Jr.
“Shut the f**k up!”.
Desmond Mills Jr.
“You about to get sprayed again. ”.
Bean (left) and Smith (right) are seeing hitting Nichols repeatedly in the face.
Tyre Nichols.
“Mom!”.
“Mom!”.
Mills is seen pointing pepper spray toward Nichols’ face.
After Nichols was handcuffed, Bean and Smith drag Nichols and lean him up against a car in a seated position.
8:38 P. M.
This video clip has no audio.
In this video:.
Tadarrius Bean.
Justin Smith.
Video transcript:.
Footage from a city surveillance camera shows Officer Justin Smith and Officer Tadarrius Bean drag Nichols and lean him up against a car in a seated position.
Images from a surveillance camera show Bean and Smith drag Nichols across the concrete and lean him up against a car in a seated position.
Desmond Mills Jr.
Memphis Police officer (fired).
Plea: As part of a settlement to both state and federal charges, Mills pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and conspiracy charges, which included using excessive force and failing to intervene, as well as conspiring to cover up his use of unlawful force, according to the US attorney’s office. He also agreed to plead guilty in state court at an upcoming hearing on charges related to Nichols’ death, according to the Shelby County district attorney.
Officer Desmond Mills was only present at the second scene. Video from his body camera shows that he pepper sprayed Nichols twice.
On his second attempt to spray Nichols, he also sprays himself and Martin.
Once he recovers from the pepper spray, Mills beats Nichols three times with his baton.
8:33-8:35 P. M.
In this video:.
Desmond Mills Jr.
Justin Smith.
Tadarrius Bean.
Video transcript:.
Edited video shown from the perspective of Officer Desmond Mills’ body camera. CNN edited out a portion of Mills reacting to the pepper spray.
Tyre Nichols.
“Mom!”.
Mills is seen holding a can of pepper spray aiming it at Nichols while he screams.
Mills pepper sprays Nichols again, but also hits himself and Martin with it.
Mills walks away from Nichols.
About a minute later, Mills walks back toward Nichols.
Mills expands his baton.
Desmond Mills Jr.
“Watch out, I’mma baton the f**k out of you. Give me your f**king hands! Watch out!”.
Mills hits Nichols with the baton three times as other officers pull him up.
As the officers congregate several minutes later, no one offers medical assistance to Nichols, who is seen in the video first leaned against an unmarked police car and then falling over.
8:40 P. M.
In this video:.
Video transcript:.
Video shown from the perspective of Officer Tadarrius Bean’s body camera.
Nichols, who is handcuffed and leaned against a patrol car, can be seen slumping to his side, and lying motionless on the ground as officers around him laugh and joke.
(Inaudible).
Unknown Officer.
As soon as I took his ass to the ground….
(Inaudible).
Unknown Officer.
I f**ked my leg bro, I know I’m fixing to feel this sh*t.
Unknown Officer.
Bro my sh*t been hurting all day, but when I seen that boy running bro, that motherf**ker ain’t start hurting no more.
(Inaudible).
No medical assistance is offered at this time. Based on disciplinary documents, it’s unclear if any officers provided aid to Nichols. One document says, “You and your partners also failed to immediately assist the emergency medical personnel with the request to unhandcuff the subject as his condition changed while left unattended on the ground. ”.
Tyre Nichols was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, where he died three days later, on January 10. The Shelby County medical examiner’s report obtained by CNN affiliate WMC found Nichols died from blunt force trauma to the head. It found tearing and rupturing in his brain, and he suffered cuts and bruising all over his body.
Nichols’ family has filed a $550 million civil lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department and officers in the specialized SCORPION unit involved in the encounter with Nichols. Memphis disbanded the SCORPION unit a day after video of Nichols’ beating was released publicly. The family’s lawsuit, which is pending, said the fatal beating was the “direct and foreseeable product of the unconstitutional policies, practices, customs, and deliberate indifference of the City of Memphis” and its police officials.
The US Department of Justice is reviewing the Memphis Police Department.
CNN reached out to the lawyers of all of the former officers involved for statements:.
“When viewing the video of this incident it is imperative that we consider each officer individually. It is equally important to consider what each officer knew at the time that they responded to a potentially dangerous situation. Based on what Desmond Mills Jr. knew and was able to see he acted in accordance with his training by using non-lethal force. ” – Blake Ballin, defense attorney for Desmond Mills Jr.
Lawyers for Emmitt Martin III, Preston Hemphill, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith declined to comment. CNN did not receive a response from Demetrius Haley’s lawyer.
Related content.
January 2023.
These are the moments that led to Tyre Nichols’ death | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a photographer. See the world through his lens | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a son and father who enjoyed skateboarding, photography and sunsets, his family says | CNN.
January 2023.
First police report in Tyre Nichols case does not match video of deadly beating | CNN.
January 2023.
A timeline of the investigations into Tyre Nichols’ death after a traffic stop and arrest by Memphis police | CNN.
January 2023.
These are the moments that led to Tyre Nichols’ death | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a photographer. See the world through his lens | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a son and father who enjoyed skateboarding, photography and sunsets, his family says | CNN.
January 2023.
First police report in Tyre Nichols case does not match video of deadly beating | CNN.
January 2023.
A timeline of the investigations into Tyre Nichols’ death after a traffic stop and arrest by Memphis police | CNN.
January 2023.
These are the moments that led to Tyre Nichols’ death | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a photographer. See the world through his lens | CNN.
January 2023.
Tyre Nichols was a son and father who enjoyed skateboarding, photography and sunsets, his family says | CNN.
January 2023.
First police report in Tyre Nichols case does not match video of deadly beating | CNN.
January 2023.
A timeline of the investigations into Tyre Nichols’ death after a traffic stop and arrest by Memphis police | CNN.
CREDITS.
PRODUCERS.
Matthew Gannon, Demetrius Pipkin and Paul Murphy.
SUPERVISING PRODUCER.
Claudia Morales.
VISUAL EDITOR.
Mark Oliver.
DESIGN.
Mark Oliver, Woojin Lee.
DEVELOPER.
Kenneth Uzquiano.
MOTION DESIGN AND MAPPING.
Selwyn Rocha, Yukari Schrickel and Lou Robinson.
FACT CHECK.
Jo Parker, Ram Ramgopal.
STANDARDS.
David Valenzuela, Mariano Castillo.
LEGAL.
Kristi Ramsay, Frank Lamonte.
TOP VIDEO LOOP CREDIT.
CNN animation/illustration, video courtesy of City of Memphis.
STORY VIDEO CREDIT.
All video courtesy of City of Memphis.
OFFICER HEADSHOT PHOTOS CREDIT.
Memphis Police Department.
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