Tyre Nichols’ potential connection to Memphis officer’s ex under investigation by police

The Shelby County district attorney's office told Newsweek that the potential connection between Nichols and a former romantic partner of Demetrius Haley “…is still under investigation.”

The outlet also inquired if Haley sent photos of Nichols to his ex-wife following his violent arrest. A spokesperson for the Shelby County district attorney told Newsweek “All of those are the things, along with the participation of others, that [are] now the subject of our investigation.”

Director of communications for Shelby County district attorney's office Erica Williams told the outlet that the rumors have not been "confirmed."

Williams said "We know that there have been questions about other officers and Fire Department personnel on the scene, persons remotely operating cameras, the potential of false reporting, among other things. We are now at the stage of our investigation where we are looking into all of these matters."

She added, "At this time none of those accusations are confirmed. However, nothing is off the table as this is a very active investigation—and still early in the investigation."

Last week, five former Memphis Police Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith were charged in the death of Nichols. Nichols died from injuries sustained during a beating during a January 7 traffic stop for "reckless driving" in the neighborhood of Hickory Hills.

The officers were charged with one count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. It was revealed shortly after the arrest of the officers that The Memphis Police Department had dramatically loosened hiring requirements due to low application rates.

After his death, rumors circulated on social media about a possible connection between the ex-girlfriend or ex-wife of Haley and Nichols. Many of those posts have since been deleted.

Alex Caprariello of NewsNation wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, "Re: claims that #TyreNichols was in a relationship with the ex-partner of Officer Demetrius Haley and that Nichols was targeted because of it, a spokesperson for Nichols family attorney says they have no evidence to support that rumor."