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.

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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:

“Traffic control, non-critical crash investigation, and motor vehicle code and status enforcement.”

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.

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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.

In an official statement, Smiley Jr. said:

“The officer who tased #TyreNichols and who compelled the other officers to stomp him must be fired. We must put an end to the culture that allows excessive force and assumes it is commonplace.”

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