On Wednesday three former Memphis police officers were acquitted on a slew of state charges relating to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, during a January 2023 traffic stop.
The news sparked an angry response from some commentators on social media with Nina Turner, a former Democratic politician and fellow at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, describing herself as “numb and heartbroken” in a post on X.
Newsweek contacted attorney Ben Crump, a member of the Nichols’ family’s legal team, for comment on Thursday via online inquiry form outside of regular office hours.
I am numb and heartbroken, especially for Tyre Nichols’ family today.
Tyre Nichols was a father.
Tyre Nichols was a creative.
Tyre Nichols’ life mattered.
Tyre Nichols should still be alive.Here’s how he described himself ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/w9bLjIeiKa
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) May 7, 2025
Why It Matters
There has been intense focus on the number of Black people killed during interactions with police in recent years, especially following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white police officer. This event sparked large “Black Lives Matter” protests across the United States, some of which turned violent.
The officers acquitted on Wednesday are all Black.
What To Know
Nichols died in hospital three days after being beaten by a number of police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, who had pulled him over for alleged reckless driving on January 7, 2023. During the traffic stop a scuffle broke out with Nichols then fleeing from the officers before being caught around a block away.
Surveillance and bodycam footage showed Nichols was then tasered and hit with a baton, boots and fists with paramedics arriving around 20 minutes after the beating concluded.
Scott Olson/GETTY
Five officers, all of whom are Black, were fired from the Memphis Police Department and subsequently convicted on federal charges related to the incident.
However on Wednesday a state jury found three of the former officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, Jr., not guilty of a range of charges including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and official misconduct.
The trial took place in Hamilton County, more than 300 miles from Memphis, after defense lawyers argued it would be difficult to find an impartial jury in the city.
In the 2024 federal trial Haley was convicted of deliberate indifference resulting serious bodily injury and deprivation of civil rights, and could face a life sentence in prison. Bean and Smith were convicted of witness tampering and could receive up to 20 years.
What People Are Saying
Reacting to Wednesday’s verdict Turner wrote: “I am numb and heartbroken, especially for Tyre Nichols’ family today. Tyre Nichols was a father. Tyre Nichols was a creative. Tyre Nichols’ life mattered. Tyre Nichols should still be alive.”
On X Crump, an attorney representing the Nichols family, said: “Today’s verdict in the trial of the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death is devastating. But we must never let the brutality that ended his life overshadow the beauty of how he lived.
Today’s verdict in the trial of the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death is devastating. But we must never let the brutality that ended his life overshadow the beauty of how he lived. Tyre was a father, a son, a skateboarder who loved sunsets and photography. He wanted to… pic.twitter.com/AiqxGe88CE
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 7, 2025
“Tyre was a father, a son, a skateboarder who loved sunsets and photography. He wanted to live and experience the best out of life. His death has forever changed us — but his legacy will live on. We’ll make sure of it. #SayHisName”
Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., wrote: “I mourn with the family of Tyre Nichols. I am praying for all who loved Tyre before his name was hash-tagged.
“Today’s unjust, nonsensical acquittal is a searing indictment of a system that was built to dehumanize Black people. And for so many, the acquittal echos the trauma of knowing/seeing how officers from the Memphis Police Department brutally ended Tyre’s life.”
King called on the Justice Department and Tennessee attorney general to “work toward justice, which includes accountability and change.”
The popular ‘BrooklynDay_Defiant’ X account, which has 1.3 million followers, wrote: “I’m at a loss for words. Along with many of you, I watched the video of Tyre Nichols getting beaten to death by cops, executed in the street, calling for his mother in his final moments. Those cops were just ACQUITTED. Our justice system is a JOKE.”
Rev. Damien Thaddeus Jones, a self-styled “Christian Conservative,” posted: “Memphis police officers found not guilty of all state charges in Tyre Nichols beating death. I’m shocked.”
Tennessee state Senator Brent Taylor, a Republican, wrote: “I am saddened for Tyre Nichols’ family. They deserve justice. Unfortunately, this is typical of DA Mulroy. He can’t get a conviction, and it’s everyone else’s fault.”
What Happens Next
Those angry about Wednesday’s verdict are likely to continue displaying their frustration via social media, with street protests also possible.
Sentencing for Haley, Bean and Smith is pending after they were convicted in a separate federal trial.