Tadarrius Bean, one of the Memphis police officers facing charges for the death of Tyre Nichols, was formerly the president of the Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi at the University of Mississippi – a 100-year-old fraternity that has a history of frequent hazing and ragging, according to The Daily Mail.
Bean, 24, is one of the police officers who brutally beat up Nichols on January 7, 2023, leading to his death three days later. The CCTV and bodycam footage of the incident was released by Memphis police on Thursday and the brutality of the act has caused widespread outrage and astonishment.
Also read: Who is Emmitt Martin? Police officer charged in Tyre Nichols’ Murder case
What is Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi?
Three juniors at Howard University, Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman, along with their academic advisor Dr. Ernest Everett Just, founded the Omega Psi Phi fraternity – a college society of African-American students, on November 17, 1911. The Eta Zeta chapter, according to the official website of Omega Psi Phi, was founded on July 31, 1973. Its current address is 701 Olive Branch, Mississippi, 38654-0701.
In the program outlined on Omega Psi Phi’s official website, there is a clear anti-hazing policy outlined. It says that the society “expressly prohibits all acts and forms of hazing, before, during, and after the Membership Intake Process.”
Also read: Who is Desmond Mills Jr., former Memphis police officer charged in Tyre Nichols’ death?
However, the Daily Mail reports that in Virginia the Omega Psi Phi society was suspended after members were found beaten and forced to pour hot sauce on their genitals. Two other members in a New York chapter were arrested for paddling a man’s testicles up to 200 times.
As of now, there is no evidence to suggest that suspended officer Tadarrius Bean was involved in hazing while at college. He was a student of Bachelor in Criminal Justice at the University of Mississippi.
Neither the chapter nor the Omega Psi Phi society has responded to Bean facing charges of Nichol’s killing.
