Three former Memphis police officers involved in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols received a mixed verdict on Thursday. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith faced charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstruction of justice. Haley was found guilty on all counts, while Smith and Bean were acquitted of civil rights violations but convicted of lesser charges.

All three officers had pleaded not guilty. On the count of violating Nichols’ civil rights, the jury found Haley guilty but acquitted Bean and Smith. In addition, all three of them were found guilty of witness tampering.

Following the verdict, Bean, Smith and Haley were taken into custody, with a sentencing hearing set for January 22, 2025. Haley faces a possible 10 years in prison under U.S.C., Section 242. The three of them also face potentially 20 years for conspiracy to witness tamper and witness tampering charges. As there is no parole in the federal system, the defendants will serve out their entire sentence.

The three officers were among five charged in connection with Nichols’ death. The other two, Desmond Mills Jr and Emmitt Martin, pleaded guilty to excessive force and conspiring to witness tamper ahead of trial, entering plea deals. Additionally, all five still faced second-degree murder charges in Tennessee state court, with a trial date yet to be set.

On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols was beaten by several officers after fleeing a traffic stop. He died three days later in the hospital from his blunt force injuries, including brain hemorrhage. The officers did not report the extent of the force used to their supervisors or medical responders. Nichols’ family had since filed a federal lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department. A federal “pattern or practice” investigation into the department’s use of force is still underway.

Following Nichols’ death, the Movement for Black Lives said the case “illustrates how irredeemable an institution policing is, primarily because it is rooted in upholding white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence, no matter the racial or gendered makeup of the officer[s].”

Currently, Black men make up 6.1 percent of the US population but 24.9 percent of all persons killed by law enforcement.