The Memphis Police Department announced Saturday SCORPION roomA day after release Shocking video Earlier this month, it featured the violent arrest of Tyre’s Nichols. The five former officers involved in Nichols’ arrest, who were charged with second-degree murder in his death, were part of that unit.
The decision came after Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis met with members of the department Saturday to “discuss the way forward for the department and the community following the tragic death of Tyrus Nichols,” police said in a statement.
Officials have concluded that “permanently deactivating the SCORPION unit is in everyone’s best interest,” the statement said.
SCORPION officers “reluctantly” agreed with the decision, the department added.
The SCORPION unit has been inactive since Nichols’ arrest on Jan. 7, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a news release Friday.
Gerald Herbert / AP
SCORPION, or Street Crimes, consists of more than two dozen officers tasked with street crime to restore peace to our neighborhoods. They wore black helmets, tactical black armor with “POLICE” emblazoned on the front and back, and drove black Dodge Chargers with a SCORPION seal.
They roamed in groups, sometimes using low-level traffic stops to search for violent criminals, drugs or weapons, the department said.
Saturday’s statement read: “While the actions of a few have dishonored the title Scorpion, it is imperative that we at the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process for all those affected.”
29-year-old Nichols He died on January 10Three days after he was forcibly arrested by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop. Bodycam and surveillance video released Friday shows Nichols being pepper-sprayed, head-butted, punched and repeatedly hit with a baton.
The five former officers who were fired are Demetrius Haley, Thadarius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. Employed from 2017 to 2020 and aged 24 to 32. All five were officers. He was accused of murder and other crimes.
In a news release Friday, Strickland wrote that the city is “initiating an independent review of our special departments’ training, policies and operations.”
— Pat Milton and Chrissy Hallowell contributed to this report.