Memphis Fire Department to Complete Investigation of Personnel ‘Released from Service’ in Tyre Nichols’ Death

The Memphis Fire Department said it will complete an internal investigation next week into the actions of two firefighters who were at the scene when Tyre Nichols, a black motorist, was brutally beaten by several police officers earlier this month.

Nichols died on January 10, three days after he was stopped by five Memphis police officers in a beating incident that was caught on video and is currently being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.

After the beating, in which the 29-year-old father of one of the children was pepper sprayed and tased, police parked him next to the car at the scene, according to more than an hour of footage released by the Memphis police. Police department Friday night.

About 20 minutes after Nichols was handcuffed, an ambulance arrived. He was then loaded onto a gurney and taken to the hospital.

The staff who handled Nichols’ “initial patient care” were relieved of their duties earlier this month, according to the agency. The staff was not identified by name, and it is not clear if they were ambulance workers.

Angry comments were posted on the Memphis fire department’s social media accounts shortly after the police department released a graphic video of Nichols being beaten.

“As a retired firefighter with MFD, you are taught in training and constantly reinforced to provide assistance, whether your (sic) first responder, EMT or paramedic, if the scene or circumstances around the scene are not safe,” wrote Cedric Pryor in Facebook post on Friday. “The people who responded failed to do what every member of the fire department was taught. It was a dereliction of duty on the part of the ambulance or paramedics who were the first to arrive on the scene.”

Memphis Fire Department/Facebook

Tyre Nichols family

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Shelby County Sheriff’s Office/REUTERS

Memphis Fire Department/Twitter

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The Memphis Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Nichols’ fatal beating led to the firing, arrests, and indictments of Memphis cops Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Demond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith.

Learn more about the Post’s coverage of Tyre Nichols’ beating death.

A spokeswoman for the Memphis Fire Department said Monday that two employees involved in the initial care of Nichols have been “relieved of duty” pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The department said in a statement Friday night that it did not have full access to the videos until after they were released, and they are currently reviewing them.