After Tyre Nichols was beaten by five police officers and lay on the ground for about 20 minutes, a Tennessee regulatory body concluded that two emergency medical technicians had neglected to render aid to him and suspended their licences.
On Friday, the state’s Emergency Medical Services Board ruled unanimously to suspend the licences of JaMichael Sandridge and Robert Long for failing to treat Nichols for 19 minutes after they arrived.
State public health department general counsel office member Matthew Gibbs said at the meeting that Nichols was “obviously in distress,” repeatedly laid facedown, and was unable to maintain a seated position.
Mr. Sandridge and Mr. Long did not conduct any kind of preliminary or follow-up investigation. There was a failure to take vital signs. A thorough checkup from top to bottom was not performed,” he stated.
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According to Gibbs, neither EMT offered Nichols oxygen, and even Sandridge, the more seasoned of the two, didn’t give him any intravenous fluids or keep an eye on his heart rate.
After the event on January 7, Nichols was transferred to the hospital, where he remained until his death three days later.
Since Sandridge and Long arrived at the site of Nichols’ deadly arrest last month, the Memphis Fire Department fired them earlier this week. They and a lieutenant, Michelle Whitaker, failed to complete a “appropriate” evaluation of Nichols, according to the agency.
According to Gibbs, both Sandridge and Long’s licence bans are only temporary, and the board will review the evidence at a later date to determine the “full scope of disciplinary criteria.”
Five policemen, including the one seen dragging Nichols from his car in the video, have been fired by the Memphis Police Department after being accused of participating in the beating of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man.
There were six officers involved in the incident, five of whom were Black and one White.
There are several accusations against each of the five officers, including second-degree murder. As the investigation continues, the police department may take further disciplinary action against other involved personnel.
