MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The five now-former Memphis Police officers facing murder charges in the death of Tyre Nichols, expected to be in Shelby County Court Monday, saw their court dates pushed back more than two weeks Friday.
Attorneys for Demetrius Haley, one of the five former officers charged with murder from the Jan. 7 traffic stop, filed a reset motion to move the May 1 court date to May 19. This court date will address a motion by the Media Coalition to release more video from the incident, while all other business concerning the case will be heard on June 5, where each of the five officers will appear in court.
A trial date has not been set.
Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean were all charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault – acting in concert, aggravated kidnapping causing bodily injury, aggravated kidnapping while possessing a weapon, and other charges related to the death of Tyre Nichols.
Nichols was left unconscious, brutally beaten and unrecognizable after what was supposed to be a regular traffic stop, where he encountered several MPD officers serving on a specialized tactics unit called SCORPION Unit.
All five officers pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance on Feb. 17.
Nichols's encounter with the MPD officers serving on the SCORPION specialized tactics unit has law enforcement, Nichols' family, and protestors calling for full police reform.
The incident has been described as brutal, to say the least, and MPD has been under constant ridicule since the incident. So much so that the SCORPION Unit has since been disbanded.
District Attorney Steve Mulroy says his office is now reviewing cases involving MPD's SCORPION Unit after several people continue to come forward, claiming they too were victimized by the officers charged with Nichols' death.
