A sixth Memphis police officer has been relieved of duty after the traffic stop that led to Tyre Nichols’ death earlier this month, police said Monday.
The department identified the officer as Preston Hemphill in response to emailed questions from NBC News on whether he was the officer seen on video firing a stun gun at Nichols. A police spokesperson did not immediately answer that question.
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“Officer Hemphill is relieved of duty. This is an ongoing investigation. Once additional information is available, we will update our social media platforms. Hemphill was hired in 2018,” the department spokesperson said.
Five other officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were fired on Jan. 20 after an administrative investigation found they had violated department policy on the use of force. They were hired between 2017 and 2020.