3 Former Memphis Police Officers Released Of All Charges In Fatal Beating Of Tyre Nichols

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were released by the Tennessee jury on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, of all state charges, including second-degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols.

Tyre Nichols, a black motorist, was violently beaten in January 2023, fueled by national outrage. Nichols, a FedEx employee and aspiring photographer, was pulled over at 8:24 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2023, for alleged reckless driving.

“Get the f— out the f-—ing car!” an officer yelled. “I didn’t do anything,” Tyre Nichols responded. Bodycam footage showed officers using a taser and pepper spray before Nichols ran toward his mother’s home. Officers caught him 80 yards away and beat him as he screamed, “Mom!”

According to FOX NEWS, Judge James Jones Jr. ordered their immediate release, and the three men tearfully embraced their attorneys.

“Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who represent Nichols’ family, said in a statement after the verdict. “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve. That brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted.“