The Scorpion Unit “has been inactive since the death of Tyre Nichols.”
Posted BY: RM | NwoReport
On Friday, bodycam and surveillance footage was released showing the beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis Police Department officers, some of whom were part of a special division of the Organized Crime Unit called the Scorpion unit. The group is now inactive at the order of the mayor, while the Shelby County sheriff has suspended the other two officers who arrived on the scene of Nichols’ beating.
Local news reports that Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said the Scorpion Unit “has been inactive since the death of Tyre Nichols.” The name is an acronym for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. The 50-officer unit was created in 2021 to curb the rising tide of violent crime in the city.
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The Shelby County criminal court announced on Thursday that former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr, and Justin Smith were terminated after the incident, and charges of second-degree murder were announced on all five.
Authorities claimed Nichols was pulled over because of reckless driving on January 7. The officers said that they approached his vehicle, a confrontation ensued, and Nichols fled on foot, and officers gave chase. He was then detained and taken into custody but Nichols complained of shortness of breath. He was taken to a hospital where he later died on January 10.
