The city’s murder rate was soaring and residents were clamoring for action when the Memphis Police Department announced a new anti-violence unit with a fearsome name.
“MPD’s New SCORPION UNIT Launched!” read a post on the department’s Facebook page in November 2021, along with a video clip showing a group of officers in tactical vests at a roll call.
The name stands for the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods.
Now it’s known for inflicting deadly violence on one of the city’s residents. Authorities confirmed Thursday that officers from Scorpion were among those responsible in the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a Jan. 7 traffic stop.
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U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said his office is working with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police.
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