Justice Dept. Launches Civil Rights Probe into Memphis Police

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the Memphis Police Department, focusing on allegations of excessive force and unlawful stops of Black residents. The investigation comes in the wake of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, by Memphis police officers in January. The probe aims to determine if there is a pattern or practice of civil rights violations within the department. The investigation is separate from the ongoing criminal investigation into Nichols's death, for which five police officers have been charged with second-degree murder.