This is probably the least of his professional faults. On Jan. 7, Demetrius Haley broke a Memphis Police Department rule by using his personal cell phone during a call. He used the device to take a picture of Tire Nichols following he was arrested and beaten. The 29-year-old African-American was then sitting on the ground, his back leaning once morest a patrol car, handcuffed, bloody and dazed. The officer then texted the photo to at least five people, including two officers, a civilian employee of the police department and a friend. This sharing suggests that he thought he was on safari in the streets of Memphis.
Within days, the document was sent by the Memphis Police Department to an agency in Tennessee responsible for certifying state police officers. The Memphis Police Department chief sought to ensure that none of the five officers involved in Nichols’ arrest might ever work for another police department in Tennessee. Haley and the other officers were later fired and charged with Nichols’ murder.
One of the videos of Nichols’ arrest shows Haley taking photos of Nichols.
(Screenshot photo)