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Fact Check: The five former Memphis officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre Nichols' death.

Fact Check: The five former Memphis officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre Nichols' death.

Published June 15, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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# Fact Check: "The five former Memphis officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre N...

Fact Check: "The five former Memphis officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre Nichols' death."

What We Know

On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols was stopped by five officers from the Memphis Police Department (MPD) during a traffic stop, which escalated into a violent confrontation. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days later due to injuries sustained during this encounter, which was later ruled a homicide caused by blunt force trauma (Killing of Tyre Nichols). The five officers involved—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith—were all members of a specialized unit known as the SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods) unit (Killing of Tyre Nichols). This unit was disbanded shortly after Nichols' death, specifically on January 8, 2023, as public outcry and protests erupted in response to the incident (Killing of Tyre Nichols).

Analysis

The claim that the five former Memphis officers were part of the SCORPION unit, which was disbanded after Nichols' death, is supported by multiple credible sources. The SCORPION unit was established by MPD to address serious crimes in high-crime areas, and its officers were known to operate in unmarked vehicles and often in plain clothes (Killing of Tyre Nichols). The disbandment of the unit was a direct response to the public backlash following Nichols' death, highlighting the community's demand for accountability and reform within the police force (Killing of Tyre Nichols, Memphis jury convicts ex-officers in Tyre Nichols death).

The sources used in this analysis are reliable, including news articles from established media outlets and information from Wikipedia, which is frequently updated and sourced. The events surrounding Nichols' death have been widely reported and investigated, leading to a consensus on the facts surrounding the SCORPION unit and its disbandment (Killing of Tyre Nichols, Memphis jury convicts ex-officers in Tyre Nichols death).

Conclusion

The claim that the five former Memphis officers were part of the SCORPION unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre Nichols' death, is True. The evidence clearly indicates that all five officers were members of this specialized unit, which was disbanded in the wake of the incident that led to Nichols' tragic death.

Sources

  1. Killing of Tyre Nichols
  2. Memphis jury convicts ex-officers in Tyre Nichols death
  3. Tyre Nichols trial: Memphis police officers acquitted of ...
  4. Federal sentencing dates set for five ex-officers in Tyre ...
  5. What Happened With the 5 Police Officers Accused of ...
  6. Jury finds ex-officers not guilty on all counts in traffic stop ...
  7. Officers pummeled Tyre Nichols because he fled, a form of ...
  8. Tyre Nichols case: Officers face murder trial

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Fact Check: The five former Memphis officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded weeks after Tyre Nichols' death. | TruthOrFake Blog