The City of Memphis has completed its investigation into the beating death of Tyre Nichols, officials have announced.
During a city council meeting on Tuesday, Memphis City Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink said that the city is also ready to release additional information — including nearly 20 hours of video and audio from the scene of Nichols' death — to the public on Wednesday afternoon.
Both the city's police and fire departments have been conducting administrative investigations to determine whether any employees involved in the incident violated department policies, according to Sink.
The 20 hours of new video and audio will be released by the Director of Communications via Vimeo, as the previous body camera footage was released to the public in late January, Sink said.
Sink said the city will also release redacted documents related to the charges and administrative investigations against those involved in Nichols' death.
It is unclear at this time as to why the additional audio and video are now being released separately from the original footage.
More officers were under an administrative investigation
In total, the city's investigation revealed that 13 officers from the Memphis Police Department underwent an administrative investigation. Of those, seven were fired, three were suspended and two had internal charges dropped, Sink said. One police officer retired before a hearing could be conducted.
During the hearing, a committee member asked whether any officers who struck Nichols were still employed by the department. Sink responded, saying one of the suspended officers "did place hands" on Nichols' legs.
"But that was not a strike or an assault," Sink emphasized. "He received a suspension as a result of his involvement."
Five former Memphis police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were terminated by the department on January 21. Each faces several charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
The five officers belonged to a team known as the SCORPION Unit, which was deactivated shortly after Nichols' death.
Like Nichols, all of the dismissed officers facing charges are Black.
Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after he was stopped by Memphis police for what they said was "reckless driving." Police said the 29-year-old fled the scene but eventually was taken into custody after two "confrontations" with officers.
Nichols had complained of shortness of breath following his arrest and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to police.
In January, a grand jury returned indictments and charged all five officers with the same charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
