Sixth Police Officer Implicated in Tyre Nichols’ Death Fired

A sixth Memphis (Tennessee, USA) officer was fired Friday in connection with the violent arrest in early January of African-American Tyre Nichols, who died from the beating he received.

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Preston Hemphill, who had worked at the Memphis Police Department since March 2018, violated several policies, including rules regarding personal conduct, honesty and the use of a taser, police said in a statement.

The officer was suspended from duty during the internal investigation into his role in the Jan. 7 stop of 29-year-old Nichols, which resulted in the young man's death three days later in the hospital.

He was the third officer to be at the scene where Nichols' car was stopped for reckless driving. However, Hemphill was not at the scene where the young man was struck after running from the officers.

On his body camera footage of the moment they stopped the car, Hemphill can be heard saying he used a taser on Nichols. "I hope they kick his ass," he added.

So far, five Memphis police officers - all African-American - have been fired and charged with second-degree murder for Nichols' death by participating in the beating. Unlike his colleagues, Hemphill is of white complexion. Another officer has also been suspended, but his identity was not released.