A former Memphis police officer on trial in the beating death of Tyre Nichols texted photos of a bloodied Nichols to his then-girlfriend, she said Wednesday during testimony.Brittany Leake, an officer with the Memphis Police Department (MPD) who used to date Demetrius Haley, said Haley texted her and one of her family members a photo of Nichols that showed the 29-year-old leaning against a police care, bleeding from his mouth, wearing a torn shirt, appearing dirty and with his eyes closed, according to WATN, the ABC affiliate in Memphis covering the case in the courtroom.Haley is on trial along with Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean, who were charged on Sept.12, 2023, with violating Nichols' civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault and failing to render medical aid.
These charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the U.S.Department of Justice.
The officers have pleaded not guilty to all charges.“I wasn’t offended, but it was difficult to look at,” Leake said, claiming she deleted the photo, according to WATN.This combo of booking images provided by the Shelby County, Tenn., Sheriff's Office shows, from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.Shelby County Sheriff's Office via APLeake said she told Haley that Nichols needed to go to the trauma center, according to WATN.She claimed Haley previously sent her other photos from his patrols, including pictures of a burned suspect.
Leake testified that she has never sent photos from the job in her two years as an MPD officer because it is against department policy, according to WATN.Prosecutors on Wednesday also called to the stand Jesse Guy, a former Memphis Fire Department paramedic who cared for Nichols on the scene and in the ambulance that transported him to St.Francis Hospital, according to WATN.Guy said when he first arrived on the scene, an emergency medical technician (EMT) told him Nichols “just went out,” a...