Current:Home > MarketsA former officer texted a photo of the bloodied Tyre Nichols to his ex-girlfriend-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
A former officer texted a photo of the bloodied Tyre Nichols to his ex-girlfriend
View Date:2024-12-23 22:10:34
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A former Memphis police officer charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols sent his ex-girlfriend a photo of the badly injured man on the night he was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop, according to trial testimony Wednesday.
Brittany Leake, a Memphis officer and Demetrius Haley’s former girlfriend, testified during the criminal trial that she was on the phone with Haley when officers pulled Nichols over for a traffic stop. She said she heard a “commotion,” including verbal orders for someone to give officers his hands.
The call ended, but Haley later texted the photo in a group chat comprising Haley, Leake and her godsister, she testified. Prosecutors displayed the photo for the jury. It showed Nichols with his eyes closed, on the ground with what appeared to be blood near his mouth and his hands behind his back.
Leake said that when she saw the photo, her reaction was: “Oh my God, he definitely needs to go to the Med.”
The Med is shorthand for Memphis’ trauma hospital.
Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith are on trial after pleading not guilty to charges that they deprived Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering.
The Memphis Police Department fired the three men, along with Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., after Nichols’ death. The beating was caught on police video, which was released publicly. The officers were later indicted on the federal charges. Martin and Mills have taken plea deals and are testifying against their former colleagues.
During her testimony Wednesday, Leake said she deleted the photo after she saw it and that sending such a photo is against police policy.
“I wasn’t offended, but it was difficult to look at,” she said.
Leake said Haley had sent her photos before of drugs, and of a person who had been injured in a car accident.
Earlier Wednesday, Martin was on the witness stand for a third day. Defense attorneys tried to show inconsistencies between Martin’s statements to investigators and his court testimony. Martin acknowledged lying about what happened to Memphis Police Department internal investigators, to try to cover up and “justify what I did.”
But Martin said he told the truth to FBI investigators after he pleaded guilty in August, including statements about feeling pressure on his duty belt where his gun was located during the traffic stop, but not being able to see if Nichols was trying to get his gun. Martin has testified that he said “let go of my gun” during the traffic stop.
Martin Zummach, the attorney for Justin Smith, asked Martin if he knew of any reasons why Nichols did not simply say, “I give up.”
“He’s out of it,” Martin said. “Disoriented.”
Martin testified that the situation escalated quickly when Haley pulled his gun and violently yanked Nichols from his car, using expletives and failing to tell Nichols why he had been pulled over and removed from the vehicle.
“He never got a chance to comply,” Martin said.
Nichols, who was Black, was pepper sprayed and hit with a stun gun during the traffic stop, but ran away, police video shows. The five officers, who also are Black, then beat him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.
Video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggled with his injuries. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.
An autopsy report shows Nichols — the father of a boy who is now 7 — died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
___
Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.
veryGood! (9211)
Related
- Climate Advocacy Groups Say They’re Ready for Trump 2.0
- Coco Gauff ousted at Paris Olympics in third round match marred by controversial call
- Lands’ End 75% off Sale Includes Stylish Summer Finds, Swimwear & More, Starting at $11
- Wisconsin man sentenced for threatening to shoot lawmakers if they passed a bill to arm teachers
- The Best Corduroy Pants Deals from J.Crew Outlet, Old Navy, Levi’s & More, Starting at $26
- Watch as rescuers save Georgia man who fell down 50-foot well while looking for phone
- US Army soldier accused of selling sensitive military information changes plea to guilty
- Did Katie Ledecky win? How she finished in 1500 free heat, highlights from Paris Olympics
- After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
- More ground cinnamon recalled due to elevated levels of lead, FDA says
Ranking
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- What was Jonathan Owens writing as he watched Simone Biles? Social media reacts
- ‘Vance Profits, We Pay The Price’: Sunrise Movement Protests J.D. Vance Over Billionaire Influence and Calls on Kamala Harris to Take Climate Action
- Simone Biles has redefined her sport — and its vocabulary. A look at the skills bearing her name
- GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
- Dad dies near Arizona trailhead after hiking in over 100-degree temperatures
- Evacuations ordered for Colorado wildfire as blaze spreads near Loveland: See the map
- Banks want your voice data for extra security protection. Don't do it!
Recommendation
-
How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
-
Olympic medals today: What is the medal count at 2024 Paris Games on Tuesday?
-
Who is Alex Sedrick? Meet 'Spiff,' Team USA women's rugby Olympics hero at Paris Games
-
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Son Pax Hospitalized With Head Injury After Bike Accident
-
Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
-
Landslides caused by heavy rains kill 49 and bury many others in southern India
-
2024 Olympics: Why Hezly Rivera Won’t Compete in Women’s Gymnastics Final
-
Kamala Harris energizes South Asian voters, a growing force in key swing states