NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, including complying with rules surrounding the deployment of a stun gun, officials said.
Preston Hemphill “violated multiple department policies,” MPD said in a statement and was fired after an internal review. The department previously told Nexstar’s WREG that Hemphill had been on leave pending the investigation since early January.
Hemphill was the third officer at a traffic stop that preceded the violent arrest but was not where Nichols was beaten.
On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he stunned Nichols and declaring, “I hope they stomp his ass.”
Five Memphis officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death.
