FBI agent says 2 officers accepted accountability in fatal beating of Tyre Nichols

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — An FBI agent who interviewed two former Memphis police officers on trial in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols ’ testified Thursday that they accepted accountability for participating.

FBI Special Agent Anthony Householder took the stand in the federal trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering. Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have testified after pleading guilty to depriving Nichols of his civil rights.

Householder said he interviewed Bean and Smith as part of the FBI’s investigation into the January 2023 beating.

Householder said Smith told him that he and Martin both punched Nichols. Smith said he should have stopped Martin from punching Nichols, Householder said.

Smith added that he didn’t tell emergency medical technicians about punches delivered to Nichols because he thought Nichols would be able to tell them himself, Householder said. Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.

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