Years before Memphis Police officer Demetrius Haley pulled Tyre Nichols from his car on Jan. 7, setting in motion a deadly confrontation, Haley was accused of taking part in the savage beating of an inmate at a county prison.
The 2015 assault of the inmate was so disturbing that 34 others -- the entire cellblock -- signed a letter to the corrections director.
The letter asks how the inmates are supposed to feel "safe and secure when the staff members at the Shelby County Correctional Center are assaulting and threatening us?"Shelby County did not respond to a request Friday seeking information about its investigation into the beating allegations, so it is unclear if Haley was disciplined or cleared of the assault. An email was sent Friday to a police spokesperson asking if the department knew about the allegations when Haley was hired.
The prior accusations against Haley came to light because the inmate, Cordarlrius Sledge, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against him and two others. It accused Haley and another officer of punching him, and a third of slamming his head into the floor. The suit was ultimately dismissed on procedural grounds, because Sledge had failed to file a grievance with the prison, which houses inmates in the Memphis area who have been tried and convicted.
Van Turner, president of the NAACP's Memphis branch, said Tyre Nichols' death could have been prevented if the police department had not hired Haley.
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