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Officer Charged in Tyre Nichols Death Was Accused of Beating an Inmate

Demetrius Haley was accused of taking part in the brutal beating of a county jail inmate eight years ago.

Demetrius Haley—the first officer arrested for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols—was previously accused of viciously assaulting a prison inmate, according to an Associated Press report. In 2015, Haley was accused of taking part in the brutal beating of an incarcerated individual at the Shelby County Jail. In response, every member of the cell block signed on to a letter calling for the corrections director to take action. “We are truly asking that this matter gets looked into before someone gets hurt really bad or lose their life because of some unprofessional officers,” the letter read, according to the Associated Press. It is unclear if Haley received any disciplinary action in connection with the 2015 allegations, or if he was ultimately cleared. Haley is now facing a second-degree murder charge for Nichols’ death, alongside four other officers involved in the deadly traffic stop.