Memphis cop charged in deadly beating of Tyre Nichols took a PHOTO of him ... trends now
One of the five Memphis police officers charged with brutally beating a black man to death took photos of his bloodied body and sent it to at least six people.
Newly released documents revealed the lengths of misconduct the Memphis police officers displayed after they stopped Tyre Nichols for allegedly driving recklessly - a claim for which no proof has been provided - before mercilessly pepper spraying him, tasing him, and then beating him to death when he tried to escape their assaults.
The files show that Officer Demetrius Haley - who first forced Nichols out of his car - shined a flashlight in his victims face after he had been handcuffed and propped limply against a squad car, then took a photo with his personal cellphone.
Haley then sent that shot six people, including a pair of police officers, department employee, and a civilian acquaintance.
The documents were part of a review of the violent arrest, which found the officers involved behaved in a 'blatantly unprofessional' manner, even 'bragging' about the beating after it took place.
Officer Demetrius Haley took pictures of Tyre Nichols after the beating and sent them to at least six people
By taking and distributing the photos, Haley blatantly violated police protocol requiring confidentiality in arrests.
It also flew in the face of rules prohibiting officers from using personal cellphones during interactions.
Those violations were the least of their infractions, however, which started when Nichols was forced out his car without being told why, or later that he was being arrested.
From there Haley and the other officers on the scene failed to activate their body-cameras throughout the stop and subsequent arrest, and one, Emmitt Martin III, even removed his camera altogether and threw it into his squad car.
Nichols ran from officers after Haley pepper sprayed him in the face. A group of cops chased him down and beat him before handcuffing him.
Haley caught up after after the assault, and while Nichols was restrained kicked him hard in the head.
From there officers failed to administer proper first aid to their victim - joking around about the beating and taking photos instead - and left him falling over as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
The documents then detailed how Haley and the other officers delivered conflicting accounts of the arrest, and even 'refused to provide an accurate account' to Nichols' mother after the incident.
Tyre Nichols was pulled from his car and beaten without being told why he'd been stopped
Five Memphis police officers, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean, are all facing murder charges for their involvement in Nichols' death
Five officers involved with the arrest - Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean - were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression.
A sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, was suspended for his role in the beating.
Seven more Memphis police are also under investigation, bringing the total of cops involved up to 13. The names of the additional seven have not been released.
Following the tragedy, two Shelby County Sheriff's deputies have also been relieved of their duties pending an ongoing investigation, but have not been charged.
A further three Memphis Fire Department employees were also fired on January 30 for failing to assist Nichols as he lay dying during the January 7 beating. They have also not been criminally charged.
The three individuals released by the fire department comprised of two EMTs, Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge, and Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker.
The six officers directly involved with the beating. Preston Hemphill (top left) was suspended for his role, while the others were charged with murder
Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother as the officers beat him so badly he died days later
