The squad that contained the five cops accused of being responsible for Tyre Nichols’ death has been “permanently deactivated” by the police chief.
A police unit in the American city of Memphis that included five officers accused of fatally assaulting black motorist Tyre Nichols has been dismissed.
The decision was made public on Saturday by Memphis police chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, who cited a “fog of dishonour” as the reason.
In a statement, Davis stressed the need for the police to “take proactive actions in the healing process” and added that permanently deactivating the Scorpion squad was in everyone’s best interests.
She claimed that she made the choice after consulting with other officers, community leaders, and Nichols’ family members.
A day after horrifying videos of the cops beating Nichols surfaced, she made her announcement. After a traffic stop on January 7, it shows the 29-year-old black guy being kicked, punched, and hit with a baton while he yelled “Mom!” repeatedly. Three days after being taken to the hospital, he passed away from his wounds.
On Thursday, charges of murder, assault, kidnapping, and other offences were brought against five black police officers who took part in the beating.
They were all fired from the department.
When they learned that the unit had been disbanded, protesters who were marching through downtown Memphis cheered. The demonstrator who said “the unit that killed Tyre has been permanently disbanded” did so using a bullhorn.
The squad is made up of three teams of roughly 30 cops, and its declared goal is to target violent offenders in high-crime neighbourhoods.
READ ALSO: US officials have made a police video about Tyre Nichols’ death public
Since Nichols’s arrest on January 7 and subsequent beating, it has remained offline.
Goss Andrews continued by saying that the footage also made him wonder about the other police officers who watched while Nichols lay lifeless on the pavement. She claimed that nobody made an effort to halt anythingmade him wonder about the other police officers who watched while Nichols lay lifeless on the pavement. She claimed that nobody made an effort to halt anything. They have a responsibility to step in and provide care.
Memphis Police Chief Davis told The Associated Press that his staff was unable to support the justification for the stop.
She continued, “All we know is that the amount of force that was applied in this situation was over the top.” “We don’t know what happened.”
Other officers, according to Davis, are the subject of investigations, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner confirmed that two deputies had been relieved of their duties while an inquiry into their actions is ongoing.
The family will “continue to pursue justice,” according to Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, adding those who neglected to provide aid are “just as accountable as the officers who threw the punches.”
A spokesman for the Memphis police declined to comment on the actions of the other officers.
A well-known human rights advocate, Reverend Al Sharpton, stated on Saturday that the fact that the officers were black made the beating much more heinous.
In a rally in Harlem, New York, Sharpton declared, “Your blackness will not stop us from fighting you.” He continued, “These five cops humiliated our race in addition to their identities.”
RESOURCES: NEWSPAPERS AND AL JAZEERA
