Who is Preston Hemphill? Internet calls for arrest of white officer who allegedly tasered Tyre Nichols

As protests erupt across the United States, netizens are calling for the arrest of Preston Hemphill, a police officer who allegedly tased Tyre Nichols. Hemphill is also believed to be the cop who was heard saying, "I hope they stomp his a*s," in the viral bodycam video of Nichols' assault.

Many are calling for the arrest of Preston Hemphill in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death. The latter was thrown to the ground, kicked, pepper-sprayed, and tazed by police officers who claimed to be attempting to arrest him for reckless driving.

Tyre Nichols passed away on January 10, three days after his hospitalization. An independent preliminary autopsy found Nichols "suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating."

Twitter user @Amberisms_ was one of the first netizens to claim that Preston Hemphill was allegedly behind tasing Nichols. She revealed that he was named in the affidavit and attached two pictures to her tweet.

One of the pictures showed Hemphill standing next to another officer and posing for the camera. In another picture, a person was seen holding what seemed to be a taser.

The netizen noted that the Apple watch worn by Hemphill in the first image is the same as that on the person's hands in the second image.

Tennessee Holler, an independent news organization, also tweeted about Hemphill's alleged involvement. They noted that he was heard saying, "I hope they stomp his a*s" in the viral assault video.

The publication's Twitter page also questioned why the officer was not fired, arrested, and charged like the other Black police officers involved.

How old is Preston Hemphill?

Twitter user @sirmaejor, who reported on Tyre Nichols' death, claimed that Hemphill was 26 years old. Newsone uncovered Hemphill's name in a 2019 Open Payrolls wesbite entry, where he was recorded as a "Police Service Technician" in Memphis. A person who works in this role responds to the following:

This is reportedly an entry-level trainee position where aspirants train to become official police officers.

The next year, Preston Hemphill was recognized as a "police officer" for Memphis. Other personal details were not made available at the time of writing this article.

It is important to note that official sources have not confirmed whether Preston Hemphill is one of the officers involved in Tyre Nichols' death.

Netizens demand Preston Hemphill’s arrest

As the five Black now-former police officers are charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault, netizens are demanding that Hemphill be arrested for allegedly tasing Nichols. A few tweets read:

Before Hemphill was recognized as the alleged officer behind the tasing, Memphis Councilman JB Smiley Jr. urged the Memphis Police Department to fire the person responsible for tasing Nichols.

Smiley Jr. also demanded that the police officer who tased Nichols be charged alongside the other officers.

About the author

Karishma is a trending writer at SK POP. With a BA in Journalism, Psychology and Literature, Karishma, who has closely followed the latest internet trends from a young age, found her role at SK POP to be the perfect fit for her professional qualifications and personal interests.

She has nearly 3 years of experience in the industry and has interned with The Hindu and Deccan Herald. In her role at Sportskeeda, Karishma covers a range of topics at the pop division, but she believes her skills as a journalist are best reflected while creating impactful and research-intensive stories. For her, no other step in the writing process is as crucial as fact-checking with multiple sources and accurately conveying facts and data.

Karishma holds deep admiration for artists Luke Jerram and Yoshitomo Nara's authenticity and originality, who are her favorite icons. When not ideating her next story, Karishma can be seen deeply engrossed in a book.

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