As the federal trial proceeds against three officers who maintained their not guilty plea in the Tyre Nichols beating, their own former colleague just took the stand against them. His reaction probably shocked everyone watching.
Desmond Mills couldn’t get through his words without tears following the replay of his body camera footage, per WATN. At some point during testimony, Mills tearfully blurted out an apology.
“I wish I would’ve stopped the punches. It hurts to watch. It hurts inside so much. It felt bad every time the picture is on the screen to know I’m a part of that. I made his child fatherless. I’m sorry... I’m sorry. I know ‘sorry’ won’t bring him back, but I pray his child has everything he needs growing up,” Mills said through tears, according to WATN.
Three of the five cops criminally and federally charged in Nichols’ fatal beating have been on trial this month on criminal charges. Former Memphis police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith entered a not guilty plea, while the remaining two ex-cops, Mills and Emmitt Martin, pleaded guilty.
In an intense trial hearing Tuesday, Mills took the stand after the jury was shown his body camera footage from that night in January 2022.
The night of the beating
Mills testified that when he arrived on the scene, Smith and Bean were already beating Nichols. Mills stated he struck Nichols three times in the arm with a baton and also pepper-sprayed him in an effort to help place handcuffs on him, per WATN’s report. Though, he acknowledged on the stand his actions were “excessive.”
“I was angry because I just sprayed myself in the face. I didn’t give him a chance to give me his hands,” Mills said, via WATN. “I just pulled the spray out and I sprayed Mr. Nichols. I failed to assess and analyze … just started spraying.”
All of the commotion at the time Mills arrived occurred during the heartbreaking moment Nichols cried out for his mother, the ex-cop said. Mills stated Nichols posed no threat at the time of the beating. He also noted that Nichols was the “smallest person out there” in comparison to the weight and size of the officers.
Concerning behavior
Mills offered some information about his time working in the MPD’s Scorpion Unit. He testified that he planned on leaving the unit because he didn’t like the team’s structure and considered his former colleagues to be “inexperienced,” per WATN. He also stated the ex-cops had a “go, go, go” mentality.
In other isolated incidents, Mills testified to some disturbing observations of his former coworkers. He claimed something was “mentally wrong” with Martin after a car crash two months before the Nichols beating. Martin previously testified about the crash and stated he sought revenge after the crash and saw a counselor days before the incident, per The AP.
Mills also stated both Martin and Haley displayed hostile behavior toward citizens, alleging Haley kicked a handcuffed suspect in the face the day before the Nichols incident, per WATN’s report.
Nichols was taken to the hospital in critical condition after the incident, bpdy camera footage showed. He died three days later after succumbing to his injuries which included brain injuries and other severe bruises, according to his family.
The five officers still face state charges of second-degree murder. Mills was recommended no more than 15 years in prison by prosecutors. Martin was recommended no more than 40 years, the report says.