(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — The five Memphis police officers who were fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 have each been charged with murder and are in custody Thursday, according to Shelby County, Tennessee, jail records.
Memphis police identified the officers last week as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All five have been booked into jail.
There has been no official announcement of charges against the officers, but jail records for the officers show they’ve each been booked on several felonies, including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault.
Bonds are set at $350,000 for Martin and Haley, and $250,000 for Bean, Mills and Smith, according to a news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Former officer Mills is currently being represented by defense attorney Blake Ballin, who will be holding a press conference today with defense attorney William Massey, representing former officer Martin.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, joined by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch and other TBI members, made the official announcement Thursday afternoon, charging the officers on multiple counts.
“In a word, ‘it’s absolutely appalling. Let me be clear, what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal,” Rausch said.
The investigation is still ongoing at this time. According to Mulroy, under the laws of Tennessee, second-degree murder is a knowing killing.
“Nothing we do today or did today precludes the addition of any further charges regarding any of the people [involved],” Mulroy said.
The video footage of the incident is comprised of city cameras and body camera footage of the former officers.
Nichols’ stepfather Rodney Wells told ABC News earlier this week that they are seeking a first-degree murder charge, but Mulroy told press that he met with the family about the charges brought today and “expedited” the investigation.
MPD announced this week that other officers in the department are under investigation for department violations as well.
According to the department, the officers violated policies for use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid.
“The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre,” Nichols’ family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement.
“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.”
This announcement comes after MPD Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis released a statement including that the five officers were “directly responsible for the physical abuse” of Nichols and that the video footage of the incident was “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”
“I expect our citizens to exercise their first amendment right to protest, to demand action and results, but we need to ensure our community is safe in this process. None of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction on our community or against our citizens,” Davis said.
The video has yet to be made public but is expected to be released on Friday.
Authorities have warned law enforcement agencies of the reaction that may transpire when the official video footage is released.
Tennessee Sheriff’s Association President Jeff Bledsoe sent out a letter to Jonathan Thompson, the National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director/CEO, on Wednesday anticipating the public reaction to the video’s release.
“Due to the nature of the video’s contents it is believed it may spark responses outside of the traditional protests,” the letter read. “There is a public safety risk potential to communities and peace officers expanding outside of the Shelby County (Memphis) TN area.”
After being pulled over for “reckless driving” on Jan. 7, Nichols was involved in an altercation with Memphis officers that led to him being hospitalized in critical condition after complaining of shortness of breath during the arrest. Three days later, Nichols died.
According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by Nichols’ family and released by attorneys, Nichols suffered from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”
The independent autopsy report or official autopsy report has still not been publicly released.
The incident also continues to be investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice.
ABC News’ Armando Garcia, Josh Margolin, Stephanie Wash and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.
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