4:43 p.m.: Long was dismissed as a witness, and the jury was released for the day. We will return with live coverage of the trial on Friday at 9 a.m.

3:47 p.m.: Robert Long is continuing his testimony. Defense attorneys asked Long about the aid that he provided on the scene for Nichols.

Long told defense attorneys that Bean may have been the officer sitting next to him in the ambulance transporting Nichols to the hospital. He testified that he did not ask Bean what happened on the scene or for additional information regarding Nichols.

“I’ve interacted with MPD before; this just felt different,” said Long.

He said he was only informed that Nichols had been pepper-sprayed, tasered, and had run from the scene. None of the officers informed him that Nichols had been punched and kicked multiple times in the head and body.

He agreed that if he had known the extent of Nichols’ injuries, he would have treated the situation differently.

“Are there things you could have done differently had you known about the impacts to his head?” asked prosecuting attorney Paul Haggerman.

“Yes, sir,” answered Long.

He told the jury he had asked to have Nichols released from handcuffs, but the request was denied.

2:49 p.m.: Former Memphis firefighter and EMT, Robert Long, was then called to the stand. Long was one of the EMTs on the scene responding to the Jan. 7 incident. A few weeks after Tyre Nichols’ death, he was terminated.

Long said Nichols told him on the scene that he had consumed alcohol, but did not confirm or deny that he had drugs. He said Nichols had a bump on his head, dried blood under his nose, and a busted lip.

Long described Nichols’ breathing as “rapid,” as if he had just been running.

He testified that Nichols was alert on the scene for several minutes, but within seconds of paramedics’ arrival, his response to pain changed. By the time Nichols arrived at the hospital in the ambulance, he had gone into cardiac arrest.

The judge released the jury for a short break due to technical difficulties.

2:39 p.m.: Court is back in session. The defense has now called Dr. Jane Turner, a forensic pathologist with over 25 years of experience, to the stand.

Dr. Turner testified that through medical records, it was clear that Nichols’ brain, liver, kidneys, etc., were not functioning properly. They “went into shock” due to a reaction from the head injury.

“Mr. Nichols had no genetic shock. He had a reaction to the head injury that caused his body to overreact to that injury by his heart failing, his lungs failing, his liver failing, his kidneys failing,” she said.

She said CT scans showed he had tissue injuries, but no brain injury. She agreed that blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of his death.

“It showed that Mr Nichols had a response to the head injury. He had hemorrhage in his brain eventually. But on the initial imaging scan, he didn’t have any visible injuries to the brain. Indicating to me that the hemorrhaging to the brain was a part of a reaction and those hemorrhages weren’t from the assault itself, otherwise they would have been visible on the initial CT scan,” said Dr. Turner.

Dr. Turner said doctors couldn’t figure out why Nichols was so sick. The CT scan showed that he was without a functioning heart for 15 minutes before he got to the hospital. That caused the hemorrhage, leading to other issues.

12:34 p.m.: The jury is on lunch break. We will provide updates when court resumes.

12:23 p.m.: Defense attorneys then called Pastor Keveon Taylor, a colleague of Bean, and former MPD officer Bryant McKinney, who went through the police academy with Bean, to speak on the ex-officer’s character.

Pastor Taylor described Bean as “a humble man of integrity,” and “a friend.” He also described a time when he and Bean, who had become the chapter president of his fraternity at the University of Mississippi, noticed money had been stolen by chapter members, over $3,000.

He said he and Bean went to the bank “immediately” and confronted the members who had committed that wrong.

Prosecuting attorneys then questioned Pastor Taylor on Bean’s actions.

“He notified you immediately? You all rectified the situation immediately? You all confronted the people who did something immediately? So he does know how to do all those things right?” questioned prosecuting attorneys.

Pastor Taylor agreed, saying, “I assume so.”

Meanwhile, former officer Bryant McKinney described Bean as a “by-the-book” kind of guy. He said Bean has always and “to this day” been that kind of officer.

“You never had to second-guess him,” said McKinney.

12:11 p.m.: The next witness called to the stand was MPD officer Gregory Turner, who was Tadarrius Bean’s primary field training officer. He described Bean as “a humble guy, well-mannered,” and said Bean was one of his “favorite trainees.”

He also noted that Bean was a “superb guy,” and “Overall, a good young man during that time frame.” Officer Tuner said Bean was “well put together” and had a good reputation, even referring to him as a “good officer.”

The defense ended their questioning, and prosecuting attorneys came back with only one question for Officer Tuner.

“Good people can make bad choices, right?” asked a prosecuting attorney.

“Yeah, they can,” said Officer Turner.

11:58 a.m.: Defense attorney Michael Stengel, representing Demetrius Haley, called a witness to the stand who had been the victim of a theft in October 2022, months before Tyre Nichols was killed.

He said his car had been broken into. His wallet, containing multiple debit cards and “old IDs,” had been stolen. He said he never knew Nichols and had no idea how his ID ended up in Nichols’ car.

It was previously stated that law enforcement agencies found multiple IDs, debit, and credit cards, not belonging to Nichols, in his vehicle when it was searched after the traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023.

The witness was dismissed.

11:31 a.m.: Court has resumed after a short break. Prosecuting attorneys have begun cross-examination of former officer Preston Hemphill.

Hemphill told the jury he never saw Nichols driving recklessly, crossing into other lanes. He did mention that Nichols drove for around two miles before pulling over for police.

He said he never saw Nichols punch, kick, “take a swing at,” threaten, or curse at officers while they were trying to detain him on the first scene. He previously described Nichols as “politely resisting” during the traffic stop.

Hemphill testified that he never saw Nichols grab for Emmitt Martin’s gun, only heard Martin say “Let go of my gun” while struggling with Nichols. He said Martin later told him that he only felt Nichols “tug on his belt.”

Hemphill agreed with attorneys that he would not consider Nichols’ alleged “police resistance” a fight for officers.

Prosecuting attorneys opened a conversation about what some officers refer to as “street tax” or “street justice,” which is described as a “payment” for making officers get out of their cars or chase an arrestee.

Hemphill told attorneys that this is something he had heard, especially from older officers. He agreed that one punch could be seen as acceptable “justice” for an officer who had to physically chase.

Though “street tax” was mentioned, Hemphill agreed with prosecuting attorneys that the punches and “soccer kicks” to Nichols’ face were “wrong.”

Hemphill was dismissed as a witness.

11:00 a.m.: Court is on a brief break.

10:15 a.m.: Hemphill told defense attorneys that in his original statement to police, he described Smith as “kind, gentle, and understanding.”

“Any time I had a question, I would always ask him. He would always help me out to the best of his abilities,” said Hemphill.

He said Smith also gave him advice on officers to avoid, which he listened to.

Hemphill agreed with Tadarrius Bean’s attorney, John Keith Perry, that Bean was characterized as a “pretty quiet guy” who was shy and didn’t talk much. He was asked if Bean had a reputation for excessive force.

“I don’t recall any excessive force used by Mr. Bean,” said Hemphill.

***

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The trial for three former Memphis Police officers continues on Thursday with ex-Scorpion Unit officer Preston Hemphill’s testimony on the night Tyre Nichols was beaten to death.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith are all facing a second-degree murder charge in the case.

The state rested its case on Wednesday, opening the floor for the defense to present its witnesses.

Hemphill, one of the Scorpion Unit officers involved in the initial traffic stop, took the stand to testify on the night of Jan. 7, 2023, when he and two other officers pulled Nichols over in what Hemphill classified as a “high-risk” stop.

He told the jury that the officers were “struggling” with Nichols, who was resisting. Hemphill also noted that Nichols was able to push three men, each weighing between 250 and 280 pounds, off of him to get away.

His testimony will continue on Thursday at 9 a.m., and the state’s cross-examination is expected to start shortly after.