Officers Manhandled and Beat Tyre Nichols. We Tracked Each One’s Role.

Tyre Nichols faced an onslaught of impossible demands and brutal beatings at the hands of Memphis police officers on Jan. 7 — much of which was caught on three police body cameras and a street camera.

The videos are chaotic and dimly lit, making it challenging to discern each officer’s actions. The New York Times analyzed the available footage and radio traffic to identify and track which of the six officers threatened, chased and beat Mr. Nichols after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. The videos do not show what initially prompted the traffic stop.

The Times found no verbal communications or actions by officers during the encounter that signaled Mr. Nichols posed a potential threat or was even acting aggressively. Yet each of the six officers immediately used physical force. The analysis also found the officers’ actions lacked coordination and served no clear tactical purpose. They continued to escalate their use of force even as Mr. Nichols became increasingly incapacitated and incoherent.

Footage and police documents show that at least some of the officers were aware that they were being filmed by body cameras. Video also captures two additional police officers arriving during the final blows and one supervisor, a lieutenant, who appeared about six minutes later as Mr. Nichols lay on the street severely injured. At least 14 responders were at the scene before the ambulance arrived, including 12 law enforcement officers, footage shows.

The findings from The Times’s visual analysis were corroborated by documents from the officers’ disciplinary proceedings released by the state of Tennessee on Tuesday.

This article contains graphic images and descriptions of violence.

A visualization showing the six police officers who were identified in footage of Tyre Nichols’s death. The graphic shows which of the officers were charged. Five officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder: Detectives Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills and Smith. One officer, Detective Hemphill, was fired but not charged.

Fired and charged with murder

Fired and charged with murder

Fired and

charged with murder

A series of portraits showing six police officers who the Times identified and tracked in footage from the night of Jan. 7. As the reader scrolls through the story, the portrait of each officer is highlighted during parts of the story where he is mentioned or involved.

hemphill

haley

martin

bean

smith

mills

Initial Traffic Stop

8:24 p.m.

The body camera footage begins as Detective Preston Hemphill drives up to the intersection where Nichols’s car had been boxed in by two police vehicles. Hemphill draws his firearm and joins Detective Demetrius Haley and Detective Emmitt Martin III who are rushing to Nichols’s car, barking commands. “Get the fuck out of the fucking car,” Haley shouts, then pulls Nichols out of the car.

Image from Hemphill’s body camera footage. Nichols’s car is shown stopped in an intersection at night. Hemphill’s hand is shown toward the right corner of the image holding his drawn gun. To the left of the image, Haley holsters his gun as he leans toward the driver side door of Nichols’s car. Martin is also standing near Nichols’s car.

Detective Haley

holsters his gun.

Detective Hemphill’s

gun is drawn.

Detective Hemphill’s

gun is drawn.

Detective Haley

holsters his

gun.

Detective

Hemphill’s

gun is drawn.

Detective Haley

holsters his gun.

The New York Times; Image from Hemphill’s body camera footage released by the City of Memphis

8:25 p.m.

All three officers immediately swarm Nichols, manhandling him and unleashing a bombardment of intensifying threats and commands to get on the ground. “I’m fitting to tase your ass,” Hemphill yells. Nichols appears confused, and tries to point out he is complying. “All right, I’m on the ground,” he says. “I’m just trying to go home.”

Hemphill presses a Taser against Nichols’s leg. Haley, Hemphill and Martin pin down his arms. They demand his hands. Haley fires pepper spray at Nichols, but the spray also hits the officers who lose their grip. Hemphill attempts to use his Taser on Nichols as he is trying to get away. After a short foot chase, the officers give up and call for backup as Nichols flees.

Image from Hemphill’s body camera footage showing Haley, Martin and Hemphill. Hemphill holds Nichols’s torso down, while Martin and Haley grip his arms.

Detective Hemphill

holds Nichols’s

torso down.

Detective Martin

grips Nichols’s wrist.

Detective Hemphill

holds Nichols’s

torso down.

Detective Martin

grips Nichols’s wrist.

Detective Hemphill

holds Nichols’s

torso down.

Detective Martin

grips Nichols’s wrist.

The New York Times; Image from Hemphill’s body camera footage released by the City of Memphis

Officers Catch Nichols

8:32 p.m.

Three new officers responding to the call for backup spot Nichols about 600 yards from the initial stop. Detectives Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean chase and tackle Nichols. They grab his hands. Detective Desmond Mills Jr. runs up and yells, “You about to get sprayed again.” Nichols tries to shield his face.

Smith and Bean strike Nichols’s head repeatedly, and Mills fires pepper spray into his face. Nichols writhes on the ground and yells out for his mother, who lives nearby.

Image from Mills’s body camera footage. Mills’s hand is visible in the right corner, wielding pepper spray. Nichols lies on the pavement, being restrained by Bean and Smith.

Detective Mills wields

pepper spray.

Detective Mills wields

pepper spray.

Detective Mills

wields pepper spray.

The New York Times; Image from Mills’s body camera footage released by the City of Memphis

8:33 p.m.

The officers briefly pause as Nichols wipes pepper spray from his face. Then Martin — from the initial traffic stop — rushes into the scene, before kicking and punching Nichols in the head.

Smith, Martin and Bean shove Nichols to the ground. Mills pepper-sprays Nichols again. The spray also hits the officers. Two of them fall back. Nichols cries out again for his mother.

Officers stand over Nichols who is now on his hands and knees. Smith knees him in the ribs, knocking Nichols back to the ground.

8:34 p.m.

Martin recovers from the pepper spray and rejoins the officers who are standing over Nichols and demanding his hands. He kicks Nichols’s head with so much force that he nearly slips.

Nichols moves to cover his face and Martin yells, “Lay flat, goddamnit,” kicking his head again. Nichols groans. Smith snaps a handcuff on his left wrist.

Three officers are gripping both of Nichols’s arms and simultaneously demanding his hands — even as one of them is already cuffed.

Mills draws his baton and holds it up. “Watch out. I’m going to baton the fuck out you,” he says. Bean and Smith hoist Nichols into the air using the handcuff. Mills strikes Nichols three times with his baton, punctuating each blow with a demand for his hands.

Image from SkyCop camera footage. Nichols is shown lying on the ground with his left wrist handcuffed. Martin, Bean, and Smith are gripping both of Nichols’s arms and simultaneously demanding his hands. Mills is standing to the right of the group and drawing his baton.

Detective Mills

draws his baton.

Nichols’s left wrist

is cuffed.

Detective Mills

draws his baton.

Nichols’s left

wrist is cuffed.

Detective Mills

draws his

baton.

Nichols’s left wrist is

cuffed.

The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis

8:35 p.m.

Three officers are holding Nichols’s arms and wrists, but rather than putting the other handcuff on Nichols, they stand him up in front of Martin. Martin squares up and drives his fist into Nichols’s head five times. “Give me your fucking hands!” Martin yells between punches. But Nichols — with Bean pinning his arms behind his back and Smith gripping his handcuffed wrist — is unable to comply. After the final blow, Nichols is dropped to the ground. The footage later captures Martin boasting about his punches.

Image from SkyCop camera footage. Three officers are holding Nichols arms behind his back: Mills, Smith and Bean. Martin raises his arm to punch Nichols.

Detective Martin

winds up to

punch Nichols.

Detective Smith

holds Nichols.

Detective Bean

holds Nichols.

Detective Martin

winds up to

punch Nichols.

Detective Smith

holds Nichols.

Detective Bean

holds Nichols.

Detective Martin

winds up to

punch Martin.

Detectives Smith

and Bean hold

Nichols.

The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis

8:36 p.m.

Haley — the other officer from the initial traffic stop — runs onto the scene and immediately kicks Nichols, who is immobilized on the ground.

Martin delivers one last blow: another kick.

Finally, the officers fully handcuff Nichols.

Officers report Nichols is “in custody”

8:37 p.m.

Nichols lies on the pavement, groaning. Smith approaches. “Get him up,” he shouts.

Smith and Bean drag Nichols by his arms and prop him up against a car.

8:39 p.m.

Haley turns on his flashlight and uses his cellphone to take a photograph of Nichols, who is lying motionless and unattended.

Seconds later, Haley takes another photograph from a slightly different angle.

Image from SkyCop camera footage. Nichols is in a seated position, slumped against the side of a car. Haley, Bean, Mills and Martin are standing a few feet away. Haley is pointing his phone toward Nichols.

Detective Haley points

his phone at Nichols.

Detective Haley points his

phone at Nichols.

Detective Haley

points his phone at

Nichols.

The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis

8:40 p.m.

With Nichols slumped against the car, incapacitated and incoherent, Bean and Smith complain about their sore legs and knees. Nichols tips over.

8:41 p.m.

Officers mill around and muse about the various mishaps, injuries and equipment losses during the arrest, paying little attention to Nichols. Bean eventually walks over and says: “Hey, sit up, bro,” then pulls him upright.

8:42 p.m.

At least one supervisor — who is later identified as a lieutenant — appears in the footage. He listens to officers relay their accounts of events. Haley and Martin claim Nichols reached for their guns. Martin also alleges that Nichols tried to punch him. In one police report filed hours later, Nichols is named as a suspect in an “aggravated assault.” The report identifies Martin as the victim.

Lawyers for four of the officers did not respond to, or declined, The Times’s requests for comment about their clients’ actions captured in the footage. The Memphis Police Department also declined to comment.

William D. Massey, Mr. Martin’s attorney, said additional footage is necessary to show what precipitated the traffic stop and to complete a full assessment of the incident.

Lee Gerald, Mr. Hemphill’s lawyer, said while they both strongly disagree with his termination, Mr. Hemphill would continue to cooperate with authorities investigating Mr. Nichols’s death. Mr. Gerald also said that Mr. Hemphill was never present at the second scene.

Methodology

The Times reviewed four videos released by the City of Memphis. Three of the videos contain footage recorded by body cameras worn by Hemphill, Bean and Mills. The fourth video contains footage from a police camera mounted on a street pole and lacks audio. Once synchronized, the footage accounts for 39 minutes from the night of Jan. 7. Timestamps are based on the times recorded by each camera, and may be approximate.

Members of The Times’s Visual Investigations team and Graphics Department conducted a frame-by-frame analysis of the footage and cross-referenced their findings with a police incident report, disciplinary records and audio recordings of radio traffic from the Memphis Police Department, Memphis Fire Department and Shelby County Sheriff obtained from Broadcastify.

The Times also determined that at least three other officers at the scene — Smith, Martin, and Haley — appear to be wearing body cameras which were either not filming, or recorded footage that has not been released. The local district attorney has also said there is up to 20 hours of additional footage that has not yet been made public.