Desmond Mills Jr., a former Memphis police officer who was detained and imprisoned for the second-degree murder of Tyre Nichols, was later released on a $250,000 bond. According to the allegations, the victim, who is 29 years old, was violently attacked by the former officer and four other police officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith—after being stopped for a traffic infraction.

Also Read| Who is Demetrius Haley, former Memphis police officer charged in Tyler Nicholas’ death?

Who is Desmond Mills Jr.?

Desmond Mills Jr. is one of five former Memphis police officers accused of Tyre Nichols’ second-degree murder. He was a former Tennessee and Mississippi jailer who lived in Hartford, Bloomfield, Charleston, and Bangor.

Between 2011 to 2014, the ex-cop acted for the football squad at West Virginia State University. In March 2017, Mills Jr. became a member of the Scorpion squad of the Memphis Police Department. A FedEx driver named Nichols was allegedly attacked during a traffic check on January 7 by Desmond Mills Jr., as well as officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith. The incident escalated into a physical brawl.

Also Read| Tyre Nichols toxicology report: When can findings come out?

He was also admitted into the Scorpion section of the police department, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhood, according to the police file (SCORPION). The unit, which is made up of 40 cops, is tasked with controlling street violence in a certain area. On October 21, the specialised unit in Memphis went into operation.

Also Read| Tyre Nichols protests: People march in Washington DC, New York, Memphis, Atlanta after bodycam footage released

Cerelyn CJ Davis, the chief of the Memphis Police Department, told CNN that she found the body camera film to be “incomprehensible” and “unconscionable” after viewing it. “I’m confident that viewers will experience what the family did. In this case, you are not a human person. It is comparable to, if not worse than, the beating of Rodney King in 1991, in my opinion. A collective mentality,’ Davis remarked.