The Memphis Fire Department said it will conclude an internal investigation next week that it launched over the actions of two personnel who were on the scene when black motorist Tyre Nichols was savagely beaten by multiple cops earlier this month.
Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after being stopped by five Memphis cops in a beating incident that was caught on video and is currently under investigation by the state’s Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
Following the beating, in which the 29-year-old father of one was hit with pepper spray and tased, he was propped up next to a car by the police at the scene, according to more than an hour of footage released by the Memphis Police Department Friday night.
The staffers, who were involved in the “initial patient care” of Nichols, according to the department, were relieved of their duties earlier this month. The personnel were not identified by name, and it’s not clear if they were EMS workers.
“Being a retired Fireman with MFD, you are taught in training and reinforced throughout to render aid, whether your (sic.) first responder, EMT, or paramedic, unless the scene or circumstances around the scene is unsafe,” Cedric Pryor wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “The individuals that responded failed to perform what has been taught to every member of the Fire Department. This was a neglect of duty by the EMTs or Paramedics who arrived on the scene first.”
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The Memphis Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Nichols’ fatal beating led to the firing, arrests and indictments of Memphis police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Demond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith.
Read more of the Post’s coverage of Tyre Nichols’ beating death
A Memphis Fire Department spokeswoman said Monday that two personnel involved in Nichols’ initial care were “relieved of duty” pending the outcome of the internal investigation.
The department said in a statement Friday night that it did not receive full access to the video footage until it was released to the public and it is currently reviewing it.
