The Internet is calling for the arrest of white officer Preston Hemphill who allegedly tasered Tyre Nichols.
As protests erupt across the United States, netizens call for the arrest of Preston Hemphill who is a police officer who has allegedly tased Tyre Nichols. Preston is believed to be a cop who was saying “I hope they will be stomping his a*s,” in the viral bodycam video of Nichols’ assault.
Who is Preston Hemphill Memphis Police officer who tased Tyre Nichols in viral video before his death
Meet Police Officer Preston Hemphill👮♀️ the white officer who deployed the taser. He also shouted “I hope they stomped his ass”. You can clearly see his hand in the video. He has yet to be charged with the crime of murder.
The investigation is not completed. pic.twitter.com/XmrdsCU0TS
— IG: RahiemShabazz (@rahiemshabazz) January 30, 2023
Preston Hemphill latest news
Several are calling for the arrest of Preston Hemphill in wake of Tyre Nichols’ death. The latter was thrown to the ground and pepper-sprayed and then tased by police officers who had claimed for attempting to arrest him for his rash driving.
Tyre Nichols passed away on the 10th of January, three days after he was hospitalized. An independent preliminary autopsy found that Nichols was “suffering from extensive bleeding which caused by severe beating.”
Twitter user @Amberisms_ was one of the first ones for claiming that Preston Hemphill allegedly was behind tasing Nichols. She revealed that Tyre was named in an affidavit, and attached two pictures to her tweet too. One photo showed Hemphill standing next to another official and he was posing for the camera. In one of the photos, a person was holding what seemed to be a taser.
The netizen has noted that an Apple watch worn by Hemphill in the first image is the same as that on a person’s hands in the second image. Tennessee Holler which is a news organization has also highlighted Hemphill’s alleged involvement. The publication’s Twitter page has also questioned why the officer in question was not fired as he is arrested and got charged like other Black police officers involved.
Preston Hemphill age, education and professional career
Twitter user @sirmaejor, who reported on Tyre Nichols’ death has claimed that Hemphill is 26 years old as of 2023. Newsone uncovered Preston Hemphill’s name in the 2019 Open Payrolls website entry, where Preston was recorded as being “Police Service Technician” in Memphis. A person who works under this role responded “traffic control, which is a non-critical crash investigation, and motor vehicle code and status enforcement.”
He was reportedly working at an entry-level trainee position, where aspirants train to become official police officers. Official sources have not confirmed whether Preston Hemphill is one of the officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols. In 2018, he became a part of the Memphis police and Preston holds an MA degree in Psychology.