FBI agents investigate Memphis PD following the death of Tire Nichols in police custody

The Feds say they will conduct an investigation into the Memphis Police Department following the death last month of Tire Nichols, who was in police custody.

The Justice Department will join forces with a group of prominent police chiefs for an “independent” review of the Tennessee Department at the request of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

“To honor Tire and help prevent this type of tragedy from happening again, the City of Memphis has commissioned the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) to conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department,” Strickland said in a press release on Friday.

“The independent, external review by these agencies will include an assessment of the MPD’s special forces and use of force.

“While we undoubtedly still have a long way to go on the road to healing, hopefully in everything we do, citizens will see that we are working to get better and that we are on the right track,” Strickland said.

The move comes as the city is rocked by the fatal beating of the 29-year-old FedEx worker on January 7, with bodycam footage showing the brutal attack.

Nichols is heard repeatedly calling for his mother while being punched, kicked, stunned and pepper sprayed by five Memphis police officers.

The confrontation began when Nichols was stopped at a traffic stop near his mother’s home. Police claimed he drove recklessly, but the city’s police chief later said there was no evidence he did anything wrong at the time.

He died of his injuries three days later at a local hospital.

The Bulls – Tadarrius Bean, 24; Demetrius Haley, 30; Emmitt Martin III, 30; Desmond Mills, Jr., 32, and Justin Smith, 28 – were fired and arrested after the incident.

They were each charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official suppression and one count of aggravated assault, authorities said.

A sixth police officer, Preston Hemphill, was also later fired after an internal investigation found he had “violated multiple department policies” over the incident.

Three members of the Memphis Fire Department were also terminated for failing to adequately assess Nichols’ condition after arriving at the scene.

Among those who attended Nichols’ funeral last week was Vice President Kamala Harris.

With postal wires