Closing arguments are set to take place in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers accused of violating Tyre Nichols' civil rights in a fatal beating that occurred after a 2023 traffic stop. The officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, rested their cases after calling experts to counter prosecutors' claims of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstruction of justice.
Video evidence shows the officers, all Black, assaulting Nichols, also Black, near his home, resulting in his death three days later. An autopsy revealed that Nichols, a father, succumbed to head injuries sustained during the altercation. The Scorpion Unit, to which the officers belonged, was disbanded following the incident.
