MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy is speaking out about the soon-to-be-released video of Tyre Nichols’ arrest and how his office handles cases involving police officers.
“Whenever there is an officer-involved fatality of any kind, shooting or otherwise, I want to bring in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation so they can do an independent and objective investigation into the facts,” said Mulroy.
MPD says 29-year-old Nichols was taken to the hospital after he complained of shortness of breath after what they called two “confrontations” stemming from a traffic stop. Three days later, he died.
Mulroy applauds the release of the police video, saying, “I favor the release of any video that we have as soon as possible as long as I do it within the bounds of the law and in a way that does not compromise an ongoing investigation.”
Wednesday, the US Department of Justice stated that the United States Attorney’s Office opened a civil rights investigation in coordination with the FBI Memphis Field Office and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
The City of Memphis also said that they are aware of the investigation and they, along with MPD, will cooperate with federal authorities.
“Transparency is very important in a case like this. I’m aware there is a lot of concern over cases like, sometimes, a lack of public trust, concern about whether there’s going to be a coverup, whether everyone is going to be objective and do what they need to do,” said Mulroy.
The District Attorney sends a message to the city of Memphis during this time.
“I understand a special sensitivity when there may be some indication a fatality was the result of law enforcement officials. We are going to do what the facts indicate are the right thing to do as quickly as we can without compromising an ongoing investigation,” he said.
The DA also told WREG that his administration’s newly created Justice Review Unit will make recommendations for any possible prosecution of officers. The unit is independent and will be objective.