The five Memphis police officers who were fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop on January 7 have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, according to Shelby County, Tennessee, jail records, reported the Guardian. Nichols died three days later on January 10.
Memphis police identified the officers last week as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. All five have been booked into jail.

Also Read | Who is David Miscavige? Scientology leader who went missing

There has been no official announcement of charges against the officers, but jail records show they have each been booked for several charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault.

On Monday, the officials allowed Nichols’ family and their lawyers to privately view body-camera footage of Nichols’ arrest. The footage has not yet been released to the public.

Also Read | Kanye West and antisemitism, what’s Balenciaga saying?

Currently, former officer Mills is being represented by defense attorney Blake Ballin, who will be holding a press conference today with defense attorney William Massey, representing former officer Martin.

Memphis Police Department said this week that other officers in the department are under investigation for department violations as well. The officers violated policies for use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid, according to the department.

Also Read | Who is Yassine Kanjaa? Man arrested in Algeciras, Spain for killing with a machete

“The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre,” Nichols’ family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement.

“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop,” the statement added.

Also Read | Who is John Comaroff and why are Harvard students protesting against him?

Memphis authorities said they would release a video of the incident. The footage would be released after 6 pm local time on Friday, officials indicated during the press conference of Thursday afternoon.