Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers accused of violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who died after a brutal beating by law enforcement in January 2023, the Associated Press reports.
The trial has drawn nationwide attention and sparked renewed calls for police reform.
The three officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith—have pleaded not guilty to charges of using excessive force, failing to intervene during the beating, and obstructing justice through witness tampering. The jury will be selected from a pool of about 200 people, with the trial expected to last three to four weeks.
Nichols, a FedEx employee and avid skateboarder, was pulled over by police for alleged reckless driving. Video footage later released by authorities shows Nichols fleeing from officers after being forcibly removed from his car. After being caught, Nichols was kicked, punched, and struck with a police baton in a Memphis neighborhood, eventually succumbing to his injuries three days later.
The incident, which was captured on police body cameras, ignited protests across the country and raised questions about police brutality. Nichols’ death was ruled a homicide, with an autopsy report citing severe head trauma and brain injuries. Nichols’ family is expected to attend the trial, which will attract significant media attention.
The five officers involved, all of whom are Black, were fired for violating department policies, and the specialized Scorpion crime suppression unit they belonged to was disbanded. While the officers were initially charged with second-degree murder in state court, the federal charges followed an indictment in September 2023.
Two of the former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to related federal charges and may testify in the upcoming trial. A separate trial in state court is yet to be scheduled.
