XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.law-enforcement, sac.politics
XPost: memphis.general, alt.politics.republicans

Rumors have spread on social media linking Tyre Nichols—the man who died
after he was allegedly beaten by police officers in a routine traffic
stop—to the partner of one of the officers charged with his murder.

Police stopped Nichols, 29, in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 7 on
suspicion of reckless driving, according to police statements.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, said in a press conference that Nichols
was returning from Shelby Farms, a large parkland east of Memphis, where
he had taken photos of the sunset.

Five officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond
Mills Jr. and Justin Smith—are in custody after being charged by the
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy with murder, as well
as aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and
official oppression.

Various claims have been made that Nichols was in a relationship with the former girlfriend of Haley. The girlfriend, these claims say, worked with Nichols at FedEx.

It was claimed that following the alleged beating of Nichols, Haley took
images of Nichols to send to his partner as a warning.

Sir Maejor, an actor and model, tweeted on Monday: "I am being told that
Tyre Nichols was in a relationship with and worked at a Memphis FedEx with Memphis Police Demetrius Halys's ex-girlfriend & baby mama. After the
beating Officer Halys took a pictures of Tyre Nichols' face and sent it to
his babymama."

He qualified soon after that tweet, which has been viewed nearly 60,000
times, the assertions were "merely speculations" and the information "has
not been confirmed."


Meanwhile, Lisa Campbell, a Washington D.C.-based "life advisor", said she
was "being told" that the alleged beating "was personal" and that Nichols
was sleeping with Haley's wife, in a post that has been viewed more than
2,000 times. In another post, viewed nearly 1,500 times, she claimed the
wife had "reported this to the police."

The Facts

Newsweek could not find evidence to substantiate the claim that Nichols
was in a relationship with the former girlfriend or ex-wife of Haley.
Newsweek has contacted Crump and the Memphis Police Department for
comment.

According to John Best, general manager of school radio and TV for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, per his LinkedIn profile, the parents are
aware of the rumor and believe it to not be true.

In a Facebook post, Best said he met the "lovely and beautiful" parents of Nichols, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, and asked them if they had a message
"they wanted me to send to the community".

He claimed Rodney told him "with a stern and firm tone" to "PLEASE SQUASH
THAT RUMOR THAT IS NOT TRUE."

In a follow-up post, he added: "We can't bring our brother back. Whatever
comes out, comes out, his pops asked me to do something and I did it."

No suspected motivation for the alleged beating of Nichols has yet been
given by police, and separate investigations into the matter by the
Memphis Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the
Department of Justice, and the FBI are ongoing.

<https://www.newsweek.com/tyre-nichols-fact-check-rumors-girlfriend- affair-demetrius-haley-1777823>

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