Memphis Police Department disbands Scorpion Unit following Tyre Nichols' death
Former NYPD detective Angel Maysonet joined 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss why the decision was 'reactionary' as protests over Nichols' death continue.
A Memphis police report appears to contradict video released last week, which revealed that officers said they spoke with Tyre Nichols’ mother at the scene on the night he sustained fatal injuries at a traffic stop.
The encounter between city police and Nichols led to the firings of five officers who have also been charged with murder. Disciplinary actions have been taken against additional officers and three fire department employees.
All five were members of the department’s anti-crime unit, dubbed Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, or SCORPION for short. The unit has since been disbanded amid a storm of criticism and allegations of excessive force and questionable tactics.
Michael Scholl, a Memphis-based criminal defense attorney, said "Getting roughed up was the norm," during SCORPION arrests and that the unit had inadequate oversight.
TYRE NICHOLS VIDEO: MEMPHIS AUTHORITIES RELEASE FOOTAGE FROM DEADLY TRAFFIC STOP
Leaked incident report containing disputed details about the deadly Jan. 7 traffic stop involving Tyre Nichols, which led to murder charges against five Memphis police officers. (The Cussing Pastor/Facebook)
"I’ve had members of these units in court before," he told Fox News Digital. "It was a matter of time before this happened."
RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, has said there is "no evidence to substantiate" the police claim that her son had initially been pulled over for reckless driving.
But a leaked incident report, first obtained by local radio host Thaddeus Matthews and posted online, alleges that she arrived on scene and told officers that her son "went out with friends" who "may have spiked his drink."
TYRE NICHOLS DEATH: MEMPHIS POLICE TO RELEASE MORE AUDIO AND VIDEO
A view from a camera mounted above the intersection where Memphis police caught up with Tyre Nichols, who died three days later. authorities released footage of the deadly encounter between Nichols and police Friday. (Memphis Police Department)
Shelby County authorities did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the document's authenticity, but District Attorney Steven Mulroy reportedly told the New York Times that his copy of the police report contained the same version of events.
WATCH: Bodycam footage shows officers standing over injured Tyre Nichols as he screams for his mother
The report accuses Nichols of resisting arrest, trying to grab an officer's gun and fighting detectives.
TYRE NICHOLS' FAMILY DISMISSES RUMOR IN MEMPHIS MAN'S BEATING DEATH AFTER POLICE STOP
Memphis officials released four videos Friday and announced they were disbanding SCORPION on Saturday. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who called the five officers' behavior "heinous, reckless and inhumane," had created the unit in 2021.
The videos show officers hitting him with pepper spray, stun guns, a baton and their fists and boots -- as their colleagues hold him down or from behind.
RowVaughn Wells and her husband Rodney Wells arrive for the funeral service for her son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Andrew Nelles/Pool via Reuters)
None of the videos show any activity earlier than an officer responding to a stop in progress, backing up colleagues who are already struggling with Nichols at a red light when he arrives.
In some of the video, officers can be heard discussing his alleged driving, "swerving" and nearly hitting one of them, and claim that he reached for a gun from an officer’s belt.
Memphis police have released video showing a deadly Jan. 7 traffic stop that led to murder charges against four officers. (Memphis Police Department)
"The report being different from the video doesn’t surprise me," Scholl said. "That’s an effort to cover up the situation and make it look as though they were justified in doing these things."
TYRE NICHOLS DEATH: MEMPHIS POLICE 'PERMANENTLY DEACTIVATE' SCORPION UNIT
The special task force was assigned to high-crime areas of the city, where the department received the most 911 calls, he said.
"Further, police claim that my son left the scene on foot," Wells wrote in a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $1.3 million following her son’s death. "It turns out that he was just trying to get to my house for safety -- which was only a few blocks away from where the incident happened."
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. Five Memphis police officers have since been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
In the videos, Nichols can be heard calling out to his mother before police beat him into a daze.
He was hospitalized with critical injuries and died three days later, according to authorities.
"He had never been in trouble with the law, not even a parking ticket," Wells wrote. "He was an honest man, a wonderful son, and kind to everyone. He was quirky and true to himself, and his loss will be felt nationally."
This combo of booking images provided by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office shows, from top row from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. (Shelby County Sheriff's Office via AP)
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Tennessee court records reveal few police encounters prior to the Jan. 7 stop. He had a pair of traffic violations and was once late to pay a fine back in 2015. The charge was dismissed.
Five officers each face more than a half-dozen charges, including second-degree murder. They have been identified as Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith.
Nichols was laid to rest at a funeral in Memphis Wednesday.
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