Five Memphis police officers fired after fatal traffic stop

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Five Memphis police officers who had been involved in a traffic stop that ended with the death of a Black man were fired Friday, the department said in a statement late Friday.

The firings followed the death on Jan. 10 of Tyre Nichols, 29, who had been pulled over while driving three days previously, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported. Memphis police had said there was one confrontation during the initial stop, then Nichols ran away. He was later arrested after another confrontation, the newspaper said.

The five police officers who were fired had been on the force between five years and 2-1/2 years. The department said that they violated department policies on use of force, among others.

“The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work that our officers perform with integrity, every day,” Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said in a statement.

There was also a federal investigation opened into Nichols’ death, the newspaper said.

Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, has asked for the officers to be charged with murder, the newspaper said.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Daniel Wallis)