Two emergency medical technicians just stood around for minutes, providing no medical aid to a seriously injured Tyre Nichols who was slumped on the ground after being kicked and punched by five Memphis police officers, according to video shown Thursday at the trial of three of the officers charged in the fatal beating. The video from officers' body-worn cameras shows EMTs Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge standing and walking near Nichols while he sits, then rolls onto his left side on the ground, the reports After about five minutes, the EMTs approach Nichols. Long says: "Hey man.
Hey. Talk to me." Nichols does not respond.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith are charged with acting with "deliberate indifference" while Nichols was on the ground, struggling with his injuries. An indictment says the former officers "willfully" disregarded Nichols' medical needs by failing to give him medical care and not telling a police dispatcher and emergency medical personnel that Nichols had been hit repeatedly. They are also charged with using excessive force and witness tampering.
They have pleaded not guilty. Video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. Smith's defense attorney played the video in an effort to show the fire department personnel also failed to help.
Long and Sandridge were fired for violating fire department policies in Nichols' death, but they have not been criminally charged. The police officers were membe.