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Three EMTS who failed to render aid during Tyre Nichols’ vicious police beating were fired after an internal investigation, the Memphis Fire Department said, according to NBC News.
The EMTs took a long time to render aid to Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Fire Department said
Robert Long, JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker violated department policies and protocols during their slow response to Nichols’ brutal arrest.
According to records, the trio was first called to the scene of Nichols’ traffic stop at 8:31 p.m. after police notified them about a “person pepper sprayed.” Then, Long, Sandridge and Whitaker were directed to a second location, where they arrived to find Nichols slumped up against a police car at 8:41 p.m. It took them 10 minutes to arrive after the initial call.
The trio briefly assessed Nichols’ condition and then stood back and watched as he cried out in pain on the ground, according to video footage obtained by Buzzfeed.
Long, Sandridge and Whitaker then called for an emergency vehicle to come to the scene. Authorities say the vehicle left the station at 8:46 p.m. and arrived at the scene at 8:55 p.m. Medical staff initiated care and took Nichols to the hospital at 9:08 p.m. — nearly 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived at the second location.
“Our investigation has concluded that the two EMTs responded based on the initial nature of the call (person pepper sprayed) and information they were told on the scene and failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,” officials from the fire department said in a statement.
“Their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department and are not reflective of the outstanding service the men and women of the Memphis Fire Department provide daily in our community.”
Memphis Police Department has suspended the white officer seen during the attack
Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10 after he was hospitalized following a violent arrest by Memphis Police. Nichols was pulled over Jan. 7 for reckless driving, but Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said her office has found no proof to substantiate the claim. The five officers responsible for the fatal arrest ordered Nichols to the ground, giving him conflicting demands before he ran away in fear.
Officers caught the young motorist just steps away from his mother’s home. They used excessive force, beating him with a baton and kicking him in the face several times after he was detained, the viral arrest video showed. All five of the officers have since been charged with murder and kidnapping.
As MADAMENOIRE previously reported, outrage and speculation sparked after the white officer seen holding a taser during Nichols’ attack was not charged for his part in the horrific arrest. But now, Memphis Police are holding him accountable.
On Jan. 30, the Memphis Police Department identified the officer as Preston Hemphill. According to NewsOne, he “was relieved of duty shortly after the Jan. 7 arrest.” However, he was “not fired” from the department.
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