The deputies have been “relieved of duty” pending an internal investigation into potential policy violations.
“Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols,” Bonner said in a statement Friday night.
Given the regular coordination between the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, it was not immediately clear why the presence of the sheriff’s deputies was not made public until Friday.
Crump noted the discrepancy in how quickly charges were brought against the Black officers in this case, compared to the length of time that passed in other police killings involving white officers, such as in the 2014 murder of Black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a white Chicago police officer.