Former Memphis police officer Desmond Mills, on Thursday (Nov 2) pleaded guilty to federal charges in the death of Tyre Nichols as well as agreed to plead guilty to state charges related to the case, said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, in a statement.
Mills is now one of the first of five officers charged in the case to admit guilt.
The death of the 29-year-old Black motorist amid a series of cases across the US had once again sparked a national debate about racism and police brutality.
Nichols was hospitalised after he was arrested in the US city of Memphis, Tennessee on January 7, earlier this year. Three days after the traffic check descended into a police assault he succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
One of five officers pleaded guilty
The now-former Memphis police officer who was fired entered his plea during a hearing at the city’s federal courthouse.
Mills was one of five police officers to face four federal counts including the use of excessive force and deliberate indifference as well as two witness-tampering counts which stem from the beating of Nichols.
Mills, as a part of the settlement between the district attorney’s office and the local US attorney, has agreed to “cooperate fully and truthfully with both the state and federal investigations, including civil rights investigations by the U.S. Justice Department,” said Mulroy’s office.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether any other officers would follow suit. All officers were also charged with second-degree murder and other counts in Tennessee state court. Both federal and state prosecutors have recommended a 15-year sentence for Mills.
The sentence will be decided by District Judge Mark Norris of the Western District of Tennessee in an upcoming hearing, said Mulroy’s office. However, the Shelby County District Attorney’s office did not say if Mills would testify against the other defendants as part of the deal.
The former police officer currently remains free on bail ahead of his May 22 sentencing hearing.
‘Very difficult’
“This one today was very difficult for me because this was really the first time I actually heard somebody tell and say what they actually did to my son,” Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, told reporters outside the courthouse, as quoted by the Associated Press.
“But I’m hoping that Mr. Mills, it was his conscience that allowed him to make this plea agreement, and not because of his lawyers telling him it was the right thing to do,” she added.
The five now former police officers – Mills, Emmitt Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith – had pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in state court. Mills has become the first one to agree to plead guilty.
Other officers involved in the case
Memphis Police Department fired two other officers involved in the incident, suspended three more, and a ninth retired after facing calls for termination, reported Reuters. Additionally, four employees from the city’s fire department were disciplined after they failed to provide proper medical care for Nichols.
(With inputs from agencies)
