Former Memphis police officer Emmitt Martin III testified on Tuesday, admitting to punching a "helpless" Tyre Nichols five times while two colleagues held Nichols and encouraged the violence during a January 7, 2023, traffic stop. Martin stated he lied about the encounter to his supervisor afterward, concealing the true extent of the force used in what became a fatal beating.
Martin described arriving at the scene to find fellow officers Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith assaulting Nichols without using handcuffs. "They were assaulting him," Martin testified. Nichols, who had fled the initial traffic stop, was pepper-sprayed and hit with a stun gun before being caught and beaten. Martin confessed that, angered by Nichols fleeing, he felt justified in his violent response. "I figured that's what he should get," he admitted.
During the testimony, prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert asked if force should be used out of anger, to which Martin responded, "No, ma'am." He further admitted that he should have intervened instead of participating. Martin also acknowledged that he threw his body camera on the ground to avoid capturing the beating. "I didn't want to show what we were doing," he explained. Describing the incident, Martin confessed, "We were assaulting Mr. Nichols," and added that Nichols was "helpless" as he was restrained by Bean and Smith.
Nichols succumbed to his injuries three days later, with an autopsy revealing that he died from blows to the head, suffering brain injuries along with cuts and bruises.
Martin also admitted to lying about Nichols' behavior, falsely claiming that Nichols had been under the influence and had tried to grab his gun. "I exaggerated his actions to justify mine," he said, adding that there was an unspoken agreement among the officers not to report each other. Martin, who accepted a plea deal, expressed remorse, stating, "I can't sit here and live with a lie. The truth needs to come out."
Link: CBC
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