Current:Home > ScamsEx-officer says he went along with ‘cover-up’ of fatal beating hoping Tyre Nichols would survive-InfoLens
Ex-officer says he went along with ‘cover-up’ of fatal beating hoping Tyre Nichols would survive
View Date:2024-12-23 11:54:07
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A former Memphis police officer testified under a plea deal Wednesday that he helped cover up the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols because he wanted to protect his job, and was hoping Nichols would survive and the scrutiny of the officers would simply “blow over.”
Desmond Mills returned to the stand for a second day in the trial of three former colleagues, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who are charged in the fatal beating. Mills and another former officer, Emmitt Martin, have testified for prosecutors after pleading guilty.
In his testimony Wednesday, Mills said he was “going along with the cover-up ... hoping for the best” and hoping that Nichols would survive and “this whole thing would blow over.” Mills said he told his supervisor that the Nichols arrest was handled “by the book.”
Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.
“I had a lot at stake. I needed this job for my family,” Mills said.
Mills noted during his November guilty plea hearing that he has three young children. On Wednesday, he said he was thinking about his wife and kids in the aftermath of the beating. His testimony came a day after he said through tears that he was sorry about the beating of Nichols, saying, “I made his child fatherless.” Nichols’ son is now 7 years old.
The officers used pepper spray and a Taser on Nichols, who was Black, during a traffic stop, but the 29-year-old ran away, police video shows. The five officers, who also are Black, then punched, kicked and hit him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.
Mills said the officers had a “non-verbal, mutual agreement” to not disclose the punches and kicks delivered to Nichols in required written forms known as response to resistance reports. He said they also lied about Nichols driving into oncoming traffic and “aggressively resisting” officers “to make us look better.”
In his report, Mills did include his own actions: He pepper sprayed Nichols and hit him with a baton.
Mills said he and his fellow officers failed to render aid and he did not tell doctors who treated Nichols about the use of force officers had used.
Under cross-examination by Bean’s lawyer, Mills acknowledged that he did not jump in to help Bean and Smith put handcuffs on Nichols or stop Martin from punching him.
Mills and Martin have acknowledged lying to internal police investigators about their actions and Nichols’ behavior.
John Keith Perry, Bean’s attorney, followed a line of questioning used by defense attorneys when they questioned Martin, asking whether Department of Justice prosecutors helped them with their testimony during pre-trial meetings.
Perry asked Mills if he believed that prosecutors would seek a reduced sentence if he “did what the government told you to do.”
“Yes,” Mills said.
An autopsy report shows Nichols died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.
Haley, Bean and Smith pleaded not guilty to federal charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
___
Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.
veryGood! (33232)
Related
- Noem’s Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota’s new governor
- 'My son is not a monster': Mother of Georgia shooting suspect apologizes in letter
- Karen Read asks Massachusetts high court to dismiss two charges
- 1-Day Deal: Get 50% Off NFL Hoodie & Shirt Set—Chiefs, 49ers, Lions, Ravens & More
- The Latin Grammys are almost here for a 25th anniversary celebration
- North Dakota judge strikes down the state’s abortion ban
- Could America’s divide on marijuana be coming to an end?
- Raging western wildfires are causing unhealthy air quality in Nevada, Arizona, California
- Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
- Earthquake rattles the Los Angeles area
Ranking
- Why the US celebrates Veterans Day and how the holiday has changed over time
- Auburn QB Payton Thorne says bettors asked him for money on Venmo after loss
- Billionaire steps out of SpaceX capsule for first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth
- Auburn QB Payton Thorne says bettors asked him for money on Venmo after loss
- COINIXIAI Introduce
- Margot Robbie makes rare public appearance amid pregnancy reports: See the photos
- The Latest: With the debate behind them, Harris and Trump jockey for swing states
- A man accused of trying to set former co-workers on fire is charged with assault
Recommendation
-
'Joker 2' actor pans DC sequel as the 'worst film' ever: 'It has no plot'
-
The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain
-
Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 3? Location, what to know for ESPN show
-
Phoenix Suns call ex-employee's $60M demand for discrimination, wrongful termination 'ridiculous'
-
To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
-
'My son is not a monster': Mother of Georgia shooting suspect apologizes in letter
-
Karen Read asks Massachusetts high court to dismiss two charges
-
Tyreek Hill calls for firing of police officer involved in Sunday's incident