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Three former Memphis police officers have been acquitted. A jury found them not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. Kate Riordan from member station WKNO reports on the reactions in Memphis.
KATIE RIORDAN, BYLINE: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith hugged one another and their lawyers after they were found not guilty in the state trial. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he respects the jury's decision but couldn't believe there weren't any convictions, even for lesser charges, including official misconduct.
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STEVE MULROY: Yes, I was surprised. Do I have an explanation for it? No.
RIORDAN: The state's case grew out of graphic police videos that capture Nichols' violent arrest after a traffic stop. He died in the hospital three days after five officers, who were all initially charged in the case, were shown restraining, kicking, punching and striking him with a baton. Like Nichols, they are all also Black. Defense attorneys said Nichols resisted arrest, ran from officers after they pulled him over, and that individually, the defendants complied with their police training. The defense also sought to shift blame to another one of the officers on the scene, Emmitt Martin, who repeatedly kicked and punched Nichols in the head. Martin had already agreed to plead guilty to state charges.
J LAWRENCE TURNER: We've, as a world community, saw the same video footage. And to have this jury reach this conclusion is inconceivable.
RIORDAN: That's Pastor J. Lawrence Turner, a Memphis community leader. He encouraged those struggling with the verdict to focus on civic engagement with police reform.
TURNER: We can't come to this moment and give up. It's in these times, these critical times, that we've got to be a witness for what's morally right.
RIORDAN: Nichols' mother testified at the trial about how her son was on his way home for dinner when officers stopped him. Her attorney called the verdict a, quote, "devastating miscarriage of justice." In a separate federal trial last fall, a jury found all three men who were just acquitted guilty of witness tampering. Two of their former colleagues also pleaded guilty to federal charges. All are expected to be sentenced later this year.
For NPR News, I'm Katie Riordan.
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