Officer discipline planned over Tennessee motorist's death

A police chief in Memphis, Tennessee, says police officers will face disciplinary action in a traffic stop that left a 29-year-old Black motorist dead

Police in Tennessee say officers in Memphis face disciplinary action after a 29-year-old driver died following a traffic stop.

Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said Sunday that the department was serving notice to the officers involved concerning policy violations. Davis said the administrative process was expected to be completed later this week.

“After reviewing various sources of information involving this incident, I have found that it is necessary to take immediate and appropriation action,” Davis said in a statement.

The statement did not indicate how many officers were involved.

“Make no doubt, we take departmental violations very seriously and, while we must complete the investigation process, it is our top priority to ensure that swift justice is served,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in the statement. “We want citizens to know that we are prepared to take immediate and appropriate actions based on what the findings determine.”

Police said Tyre D. Nichols of Memphis was stopped along a street for reckless driving on Jan. 7. There was a confrontation as officers approached the driver, and the suspect ran before officers again confronted and arrested him. Nichols then complained of shortness of breath and was taken to a hospital by ambulance in critical condition.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Nichols died on Jan. 10. The bureau is conducting a use-of-force investigation at the request of Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy.

Relatives told news outlets that the officers who pulled over Nichols were in an unmarked vehicle and that he suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure because of a beating by officers. Memphis police referred questions to the state bureau, which said it was still investigating.