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The Memphis Police Chief had previously been fired from Atlanta’s police force after the department failed to carry out an investigation into the spouse of one of its own officers accused of producing child pornography.
Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis made history as the first female police chief of Memphis in June 2021, but just 13 years earlier she was dismissed from the Atlanta Police Department for her role in a sex crimes investigation that involved the husband of an Atlanta police sergeant.
The revelations came as a second night of protests continued across the US in the wake of the release of tapes showing Nichols’ death.
In the 2008 Atlanta investigation, two detectives alleged how Davis instructed them not to investigate Terrill Marion Crane, who was married to sergeant Tonya Crane, despite the department having obtained photos of him with underage girls.
Crane later pled guilty to one count of producing child pornography after the FBI took on the case.
Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis, the current chief of police in Memphis, was previously terminated from her position in the Atlanta Police Department in 2008
From left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. The five former Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols
In Los Angeles, a small group of Antifa were seen smashing up businesses
A federal grand jury indicted Crane on child porn charges.
The indictment was issued after the Atlanta Police Department took no action in the case, with a follow-up investigation by the city placing the blame squarely on Davis.
As a result, she was demoted from major to lieutenant before ultimately being fired from the force.
Davis became the first black female chief in Memphis one year after George Floyd was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police.
At the time, she was chief in Durham, North Carolina, a post she had held since 2016 and had called for sweeping police reform.
Davis has now once again come under scrutiny following the actions of the five officers involved in the death of Nichols.
Protestors gathered at Washington Square Park in New York for a second night in a row of protest in the name of Tyre Nichols
Demonstrators gathered during a protest in Times Square on Saturday in New York
Protestors marched up Sixth Avenue in New York on their way to Times Square
Security forces take measures as people protest against the police assault of Tyre Nichols in New York
A demonstrator chants during a protest Saturday in New York, in response to the death of Tyre Nichols
Protestors held signs calling for an end to the deaths of black people at the hands of police
One protestor held a sign stating ‘End Police Terror’ following Tyre Nichols’ death
For the second night in a row, New Yorkers took to the streets in the name of Tyre Nichols, turning their sadness into strength
Protestors gather at Washington square park for the second evening of protests
A protest that began at 5pm Saturday in Washington Square Park grew to 200 people
Vandals with Antifa spray painted insulting message towards police officers
It what was a second night of rioting following the release of the Nichols police video in LA
A small group of protesters demanded reforms from police following the beating death of Tyre Nichols in Washington, D.C. on Saturday
Cities across the United States saw renewed nonviolent demonstrations on Saturday. In Memphis, protesters chanting, ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’ angrily catcalled a police car that was monitoring the march, with several making obscene gestures.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York’s Washington Square Park before marching through Manhattan, as columns of police officers walked alongside them.
In Los Angeles, a small group of Antifa were seen smashing up businesses in what was a second night of rioting following the release of the Nichols police video.
Protesters in downtown Atlanta repeated Nichols’ name and demanded justice.
Around 40 people gathered in front of Philadelphia’s City Hall to protest the killing.
New York City police officers stand guard at a protest after the release of video footage on Friday showing the encounter earlier this month between Tyre Nichols, 29, and five Memphis police officers
A protester holds a placard that says ‘stop killing black people’ as protestors gather at Washington Square Park for a second night in a row
A protester holds a placard that says ‘What have we allowed ourselves to become’ during the demonstration
Activist Nupol Kiazolu calls to abolish the police and blames White Supremacy
An activist speaks as protestors gathered at Washington Square Park on Saturday evening
A protester holds a skateboard that says ‘Tyre Nichols’ and ‘abolish the police’ as protestors gathered at Washington Square Park
People take part in a march against police brutality at Times Square on Saturday
Hundreds gathered during the protest in the heart of Times Square on Saturday night
People take part in a march against police brutality on January 28, 2023 in New York City
Demonstrators are pictured walking through the streets of Greenwich Village as they marched uptown
Protestors are seen gathered on the glass steps of Times Square
The marchers paraded along 42nd Street in Manhattan as they approached Times Square
The marchers walked the few miles from Washington Square Park up to Times Square
More than 80 people marched in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon to protest the fatal beating.
‘How many more are going to die?’ Tim Emry asked fellow demonstrators who’d gathered outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.
‘Do we stand up when Black kills Black?’ asked Melissa Funderburk, a longtime community organizer in Charlotte said to the Charlotte Observer.
‘It doesn’t matter that it was Black skin in the blue. The point is a mother is crying. It’s not OK for them to be killing Black men and women.’
On Saturday, Davis disbanded the city’s so-called Scorpion unit citing a ‘cloud of dishonor’ from videos that showed some of its officers beating Tyre Nichols to death after stopping the black motorist.
Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr., center, marches with local activists demanding justice for Tyre Nichols on Saturday
Towanna Murphy holds up her fist during a march for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop, in Memphis, on Saturday
Protesters marched on Saturday over the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten
Protesters march in front of a police car on Saturday in Memphis
Porchse Miller, left, wipes a tear from her face during a protest, Saturday, in Atlanta
Nakia Harrison, left, along with her children Darius, Devonte, and Daniel Smith, attend a rally in Memphis on Saturday
Davis acted a day after the harrowing video emerged, saying she listened to Nichols’ relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision.
Her announcement came as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with the violence of the officers, who are also black.
Scorpion stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods.
The video renewed doubts about why fatal encounters with law enforcement keep happening despite repeated calls for change.
Protestors marching though downtown Memphis cheered when they heard the unit had been dissolved. One protestor said over a bullhorn that ‘the unit that killed Tyre has been permanently disbanded.’
Demonstrators picket outside of LAPD headquarters Saturday in Los Angeles during a protest
Pastor Stephen Jn-Marie speaks to a crowd of protestors Saturday, outside of the LAPD HQ
A demonstrator holds his fist up while picketing outside of LAPD headquarters on Saturday
Referring to ‘the heinous actions of a few’ that dishonored the unit, Davis contradicted an earlier statement that she would keep the unit. She said it was imperative that the department ‘take proactive steps in the healing process.’
‘It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit,’ she said in a statement. She said the officers currently assigned to it agreed ‘unreservedly.’
The unit is composed of three teams of about 30 officers whose stated aim is to target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime.
It had been inactive since Nichols’ January 7 arrest.
Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers for the Nichols family, said the move was ‘a decent and just decision.’
‘We must keep in mind that this is just the next step on this journey for justice and accountability, as clearly this misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units. It extends so much further,’ they said.
The five disgraced officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith – have been fired and charged with murder and other crimes in Nichols´ death, which came three days after the arrest. They face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.
The image from video released on Friday shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers
People gather to protest against the police violence following the killing of Tyree Nichols in Charlotte North Carolina
Marching peacefully down the middle of Fourth Street, in Charlotte, North Carolina protesters broke out in chants
People gather to protest the killing of Tyree Nichols in Philadelphia, outside City Hall
People protest in Downtown Memphis after the death of Tyre Nichols who was beaten to death
Protestors in Memphis, Tennessee are seen marching on Saturday
A few hundred people took to the streets in Memphis in a second day of peaceful demos
Amber Sherman and other people take part in a protest in Memphis after the release of the body cam footage showing police officers beating Tyre Nichols
The videos released Friday show police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him in an assault that the Nichols family legal team has likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. Nichols calls out for his mother before his limp body is propped against a squad car and the officers exchange fist-bumps.
The video also left many unanswered questions about the traffic stop and about other law enforcement officers who stood by as Nichols lay motionless on the pavement.
Cities nationwide had braced for demonstrations after the video emerged, but protests were scattered and nonviolent.
Several dozen demonstrators in Memphis blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas.
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Protesters also blocked traffic in New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.
Memphis PD will permanently SCRAP ‘Scorpion’ unit behind Tyre Nichols’ killing just two years after it was formed to tackle city’s most serious violent crime
by Harriet Alexander & Keith Griffith
Memphis Police Department has said it will permanently abolish its Scorpion unit after several members were involved in the traffic stop that killed Tyre Nichols.
The elite unit was created to combat soaring violent crime, but critics say its aggressive tactics and lack of oversight are a recipe for tragedies like the fatal beating of the 29-year-old.
The decision came after Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis met with members of the unit on Saturday ‘to discuss the path forward for the department and the community in the aftermath of the tragic death of Tyre Nichols.’
Officials came to the conclusion it was ‘in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit,’ the statement read.
Scorpion officers agreed ‘unreservedly’ with the decision, the department later added.
An officer involved in the fatal traffic stop of Tyre Nichols is seen wearing a hoodie of the MPD’s Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols’ family, said such units can turn into ‘a pack of wolves’ and led calls for an end to the Scorpion unit.
‘We believe that this was a pattern and practice, and Tyre is dead because that pattern and practice went unchecked by the people who were supposed to check that,’ Crump said at a press conference on Friday.
Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death, though it was unclear how many of them were part of the Scorpion unit, and MPD has not released that information.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols’ family, said street crime units such as SCORPION can turn into ‘a pack of wolves’ and called to disband the unit
The newly released footage of the initial traffic stop that led to Nichols’ death shows cops in the unmarked Dodge Chargers favored by the unit, wearing hoodies with the logo of the Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part.
Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. Its mandate is to stem homicides, assaults and robberies.
Memphis officials have said the unit comprises about 40 officers in four teams concentrating on crime hot spots.
Each team has members focused on car theft, gang investigations and ‘crime suppression,’ Mayor Jim Strickland said in a speech in January 2022.
A 2021 video about the unit’s launch showed several dozen officers, mostly men, going through roll call before heading on patrols. Some wore plain clothes and drove unmarked cars.
In its first few months of existence, between October 2021 and January 23, 2022, SCORPION made 566 arrests.
Cops are seen next to the type of unmarked Dodge Charger favored by SCORPION teams, following the January 7 beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop
Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods
Of those, 390 were felony arrests, according to Strickland. Officers seized tens of thousands of dollars and over 250 weapons, the mayor said.
However, there have been prior complaints over SCORPION’s alleged heavy-handed tactics.
Cornell McKinney told WREG-TV the same SCORPION team involved in Nichols’ death stopped him on January 3, four days before the fatal Nichols beating.
‘All I heard is a: ‘Freeze, get out the car. Put your MF hands up before I blow your heads off. Both of you get out the car. Put your hands up,” he said, recalling the incident, which occurred as he was catching a ride home with a friend.
‘So I put my hands up, and one of the officers proceeded to come to the car, and he physically pulled me out by my shoulder with a gun no more than a foot away from my head,’ said McKinney.
McKinney said the cops accused them of having drugs in the car, demanding to know which of the two friends owned the drugs.
But he says the cops then admitted they hadn’t found any drugs and let the two men walk free.
Later, seeing the officers charged in Nichols’ death, he recognized the faces as the same cops that had pulled him over.
The five cops – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith – have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder.
Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith
Tyre Nichols is pictured in hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after he was pulled over for reckless driving by police in unmarked cars
One former veteran Memphis police officer who said he knew each of the charged ex-cops, told CBS News that ‘you have to be a go-getter, for the most part’ to join the SCORPION unit.
‘You have to be someone who wants to make a difference, who wants to catch the bad guy,’ he said of the ‘proactive’ mindset of the unit.
‘I never thought this would happen,’ added the former officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Because at least some of the officers charged with murdering Nichols belonged to SCORPION, questions have arisen over whether they were acting as part of the unit when they pulled him over for purported reckless driving.
Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died in the hospital three days after the violent January 7 physical confrontation with the five black officers.
The five officers have since been charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression and fired from their jobs.
The Nichols case has raised concerns that the unit strayed from its core mission, had inadequate oversight and used tactics that increased the risk of violence.
Crump, the attorney for Nichols’ family, pointed out that Nichols’ encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit’s mandate to address violent crime
Crump, the attorney for Nichols’ family, pointed out that Nichols’ encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit’s mandate to address violent crime.
Critics say such stops are excuses to search for weapons or drugs and can escalate into violence.
It is not the fist time such units have faced scrutiny.
In 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd, New York City dismantled its Anti-Crime Unit, which operated with similar tactics and goals as SCORPION.
Last January, amid soaring violent crime, the Anti-Crime Unit was restricted weeks after Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office vowing to get tough on crime.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis this week announced a review of all of the police department’s specialized units including SCORPION in response to Nichols’ death. She called the incident ‘heinous, reckless and inhumane.’
One of five Tyre Nichols cops charged with murder was the president of Mississippi college fraternity that beat potential newcomers and paddled man’s testicles up to 200 times in sick hazing rituals
by Ronnie Reyes
One of the five Memphis officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols was the president of the Mississippi branch of a scandal-ridden fraternity.
Tadarrius Bean, 24, who was fired over his role in Nichols’ brutal beating, served as the head of the Omega Psi Phi’s Eta Zeta chapter at the University of Mississippi, according to his LinkedIn.
Although the fraternity boasts its more than 100 year history as a haven for black college students, it has been at the center of several hazing incidents in recent years.
One chapter in Virginia was suspended after members were found beaten and forced to pour hot sauce on their genitals, while two other members in a New York chapter were arrested for paddling a man’s testicles up to 200 times.
Bean and the four other officers involved in Nichols’ death continue to be scrutinized after a series of videos revealed the extent of their actions when arresting the 29-year-old and ignoring his twitching body as lay dying.
Tadarrius Bean, one of the Memphis officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, served as the head of the Omega Psi Phi’s Eta Zeta chapter at the University of Mississippi
Although the frat champions itself as a beacon for black college students, it has been embroiled in controversies over brutal hazing rituals
Founded in 1911 at Howard University, a historically black college, Omega Psi Phi champions itself as a fraternity ‘on the front line, leveraging its power, influence and more than 100 years of commitment to the uplift of our people and our communities.’
But like many frats, Omega Psi Phi has been plagued with several scandals regarding abuse and hazing towards new members.
In 2019, a Virginia chapter at Old Dominion University was suspended for five years following an investigation into disturbing hazing incidents.
Members of the Tau Lambda chapter were found to have beaten prospective members, forced them to drink hot sauce and pour it on their genitals to simulate having Sexually Transmitted Disease, The Virginian Pilot reported.
The investigation said that members were forced to take part in a ‘crucifixion’ where they hang pledges on a board while they’re slapped in the face, back, chest and ribs.
School administrators noted that at least one pledge needed to be taken to the hospital to treat his injuries over the beatings.
A year prior to the Virginia investigation, two Omega Psi Phi members at its Brooklyn chapter were arrested for the brutal hazing of a 45-year-old pledge.
Steve Liverpool was arrested after he and another Brooklyn Omega Psi Phi member struck a 45-year-old pledge on his body, chest, back, buttocks and testicles between 150-200 times. Pictured: Liverpool attending a fraternity event
The victim of the fraternity, which Liverpool (above) and Keston Frank led, was later diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle breaks down and releases a protein into the blood that can damage the kidneys
Kindergarten teacher Steve Liverpool, and city employee Keston Frank, who head the Alpha Upsilon chapter, were charged with assault and hazing of Tory Gates.
Gates was struck on his body, chest, back, buttocks and testicles between 150-200 times, by hand and with a fraternity paddle, leaving him hospitalized, authorities charged in the 2018 complaint.
The victim was later diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle breaks down and releases a protein into the blood that can damage the kidneys, as well an inability to urinate following the attack.
Liverpool, who taught kindergarten in the Bronx, was reassigned to a position where he doesn’t oversee children, city Department of Education officials said.
Back in 2001, the fraternity’s branch at Tennessee State University was also suspended for five years after a pledge died during a hazing ritual.
Joseph T. Green, 25, collapsed on the lawn of the White Greek High School when he was pushed to complete various physical activities for the Omega Psi Phi chapter, CBS reported.
The medical examiner’s office said Green had a temperature of 103.7 when he passed out, noting that he also suffered an acute asthma attack.
No criminal charges were ever filed against the frat.
While the Omega Psi Phi has faced scrutiny in the past, Bean has never been charged in connection to any form of hazing.
After graduating college, he worked in the fast-food industry and then for AT&T in Memphis before joining the force.
The five cops who were fired and charged over Nichols’ death are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.
They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Harrowing video of Nichols arrest showed how the officers tased him, kicked and punched him in the head, struck him three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed him with mace in the face.
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.
Davis described the five officers’ actions as ‘heinous, reckless and inhumane.’
Tyre Nichols’ stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police
As the investigation continues over Nichols death, his stepfather Rodney Wells and his lawyer, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the video demonstrates that other first responders should be reprimanded.
‘Everyone – the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn’t do anything – they’re just as guilty,’ Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.
‘Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,’ he added.
The videos of Nichols’ arrest has sparked outrage nationwide, with many protests continuing into the weekend in Memphis, Atlanta and Boston demanding justice for the 29-year-old.
