Preston Hemphill, the white Memphis police officer involved in the Tyre Nichols arrest who is heard on body cam footage wishing Tyre harm, has just been fired.
The Memphis Police Department announced Hemphill’s firing in a Friday news dump … and he has not been criminally charged in connection with Tyre’s death.
Hemphill was one of the first officers to confront Tyre during the fateful January. 7 traffic stop … and he’s alleged to have used his Taser on Tyre.
Memphis Police Department
Hemphill’s body cam footage shows him chasing Nichols on foot … and he’s twice heard saying, “I hope they stomp his a**.”
As you know … Tyre was later confronted by 5 Black cops, who used pepper spray and beat him so badly he complained of shortness of breath and ended up in a hospital, where 3 days later he died.
The 5 Black officers … Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith … were fired before Hemphill, and they’ve been charged with second-degree murder.
Why did it take so long for Memphis officials to reveal Ofc. Preston Hemphill’s identity and that he was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago but not yet terminated or charged?
Why was the white officer involved in the brutal attack of #TyreNichols shielded and protected?
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 30, 2023
@AttorneyCrump
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Tyre’s family, has been questioning why Hemphill is not being prosecuted.
In a statement, Memphis PD says they conducted a thorough review of Tyre’s arrest and determined Hemphill violated multiple department policies, including personal conduct, truthfulness and not using his Taser properly.
Meanwhile, a 7th Memphis PD officer who was involved in the arrest is on administrative leave … but the officer’s identity has not been publicly revealed.
As we reported … earlier this week the Memphis Fire Department fired 3 members who responded to the scene in an ambulance, including a pair of EMTs and a lieutenant.