A former Memphis police officer who pleaded guilty to charges in the killing of Tyre Nichols said he punched the 29-year-old at least five times, even though he posed no threat to police and his arms were being held by two of his colleagues.
“We were assaulting Mr. Nichols,” Emmitt Martin III said while testifying against Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith on Tuesday.
The three men, along with two other former Memphis officers, Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills, have been indicted for their role in the violent beating of Nichols following a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023.
The beating, which was caught on video, sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.
Martin and Mills have pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges in the case and are now testifying against their three former colleagues.
On Monday, during the sixth day of trial, Martin said officers would often fabricate stories about suspects to justify their actions.
He continued with his testimony on Tuesday by watching videos from the fateful night, when Nichols was pulled over by police and attempted to run away.
Martin said his team hadn’t made any arrests that night and that he was angry Nichols tried to leave the scene.
He admitted to kicking a “helpless” Nichols, who he said was not resisting and was not being aggressive. He said he then punched Nichols at least five times while Bean and Smith held his arms and urged Martin to “hit him.”
Martin also admitted to tossing his body-worn camera on the ground because he “didn’t want to show what [they] were doing.” The shocking beating was nevertheless caught on police video and later released to the public.
On Tuesday, Martin said he lied to his supervisor about the former officers’ use of force and about Nichols’ actions that night.
“I exaggerated his actions to justify mine,” he said.
