The five Memphis police officers who were fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols after a Jan. 7 traffic stop have each been charged with murder and were taken into custody on Thursday, according to online jail records.
The Memphis Police Department identified the officers last week as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All five were booked into Shelby County Jail on Thursday.
Online jail records for the officers show they've each been booked on several felonies, including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, official misconduct and official oppression.
According to a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, second-degree murder is either "an unplanned, intentional killing (reacting to the heat of the moment when angry) or a death caused by a reckless disregard for human life" in Tennessee. This differs from a first-degree murder charge in the state, that being defined a premeditated, intentional killing or a felony murder.
Bonds were set at $350,000 for Martin and Haley, and $250,000 for Bean, Mills and Smith, according to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
As of early Friday morning, online jail records show Bean, Martin, Mills and Smith have since been released after posting bond. Records show Haley is the only one still in custody, though it appears he has posted bond.
Mills' lawyer, Blake Ballin, and the attorney for Martin, William Massey, disclosed that they have not yet seen video of the Jan. 7 incident, but they assured the press that their clients will be pleading not guilty to the charges. They said their clients were "devastated" about the charges.
We all want this process to play out in a fair way," Ballin told reporters on Thursday.
Although there have been no public announcement of other defense attorneys representing the officers, Ballin and Massey told reporters that all former officers are currently represented.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, joined by TBI Director David Rausch and other members of the state agency, made the official announcement Thursday afternoon, charging the officers on multiple counts.
"Nothing we do today or did today precludes the addition of any further charges regarding any of the people [involved]," Mulroy said.
The investigation into Nichols' death is still ongoing at this time.
"In a word, it's absolutely appalling," Rausch added. "Let me be clear, what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal."
The lawyers representing Nichols' family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said in a joint statement on Thursday that the news of the charges "gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre."