5 Memphis officers fired over fatal arrest
MEMPHIS -- Five Memphis Police Department officers were fired for excessive use of force, failure to intervene and failure to render aid stemming from an arrest during a traffic stop of a man who later died in a hospital, officials said Friday.
The police chief said Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were involved in the Jan. 7 arrest of Tyre Nichols, 29, who was Black.
The five officers are all Black as well, according to the department's public information officer.
The police conducted an internal investigation into the arrest of Nichols, who died three days later, and the discipline came after the probe's conclusion, authorities said.
The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil-rights investigation, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also is looking into the force used in the arrest.
Nichols' family, along with protesters who rallied at a police station and at the National Civil Rights Museum, have pushed for the release of police body camera footage and called for officers to be charged.
Relatives have accused the police of beating Nichols and causing him to suffer a heart attack. Authorities said he experienced a medical emergency.
Nichols was arrested after officers stopped him for reckless driving, police said. There was a confrontation when they approached him, and he ran before he was confronted again and arrested, authorities said. He complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.
Officials said the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Navajo leader keeps vow; mask rule gone
The Navajo Nation has rescinded a mask mandate that's been in effect since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Friday, fulfilling a campaign pledge by new tribal President Buu Nygren.
The mandate was one of the longest-standing anywhere in the U.S. and applied broadly to businesses, government offices and tourist destinations on the vast reservation, which extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The tribe at one point had one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country and among the strictest measures to help prevent the virus's spread.
Nygren and Navajo Nation Council Delegate Otto Tso announced the lifting of the mask mandate on social media Friday evening.
They cited figures from tribal health officials that show there's a low risk of transmission based on the seven-day incidence rate of 51 cases per 100,000 people.
The number of positive cases overall during the pandemic still remains higher in the Navajo region than in any other Indian Health Service region except for Oklahoma. The Navajo Nation has tallied more than 2,000 covid-related deaths.
El Chapo ally pleads guilty in Chicago
CHICAGO -- A man considered one of the chief aides to convicted drug boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman pleaded guilty Friday in Chicago federal court to distributing more than 150 kilograms of cocaine and more than 30 kilograms of heroin.
Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, 51, known as "The Engineer," faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a possible life sentence.
During a hearing before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, Sarabia said through an interpreter that he had "always made a living as a cattle rancher," the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Sarabia was extradited to face charges in June 2020.
He was originally charged along with Guzman and others in a sweeping 2009 indictment in Chicago. Guzman wound up being prosecuted in New York and is now serving a life sentence.
Sarabia's sentencing is set for July 7.
Washington looks at lower alcohol limit
A bill under consideration in Washington would make it the second state in the country to lower the legal limit for a driver's blood alcohol content from 0.08% to 0.05%.
State Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, is the bill's primary sponsor. The former state trooper and former Snohomish County sheriff said last week that of the more than 700 people killed on Washington roads last year, more than half were DUI-related.
"Our roads are not as safe as they should be, and they are definitely not as safe as they could be," Lovick said. "I see driving behavior that is beyond anything I could have imagined when I started as a state trooper over 40 years ago ... It is very clear to me that drunk driving is impacting the safety of our communities, and it is time that we do something."
Across the country, the legal limit for most drivers is 0.08%, but limits vary by state for commercial drivers or drivers with DUI convictions.
Josh McDonald of the Washington Wine Institute spoke against the bill, saying the change could turn a "reasonable, modern consumption experience, for both the customer and winery, into a very serious concern," KUOW reported.
Julia Gorton of the Washington Hospitality Association argued that there is "no discernible way to recognize signs of intoxication" at the 0.05% level.
Kenyana Dixon is comforted during a rally for her brother Tyre Nichols at the National Civil Rights Museum on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)
Sierra Rogers, holding her daughter Khloe Rogers, 1, wipes away tears as she speaks during a memorial service for her friend Tyre Nichols, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)
Rodney Wells, Tyre Nichols' stepfather, stands and listens to chants as family members and activist held a rally for Tyre Nichols at the National Civil Rights Museum on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Lucas Finton/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
Keyana Dixon, Tyre Nichols' older sister, cries as she speaks about the pain her family is feeling in the wake of her brother's death as family members and activist held a rally for Tyre Nichols at the National Civil Rights Museum on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Lucas Finton/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
Rodney Wells, Tyre Nichols' stepfather, stands and listens to chants from activists outside of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Nichols died January 10 after a traffic stop with the Memphis Police Department. (Lucas Finton/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
LaRay Honeycutt, center, along with family members attend a memorial service for her grandson Tyre Nichols, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)
RowVaughn Wells, center, mother of Tyre Nichols, is comforted during a memorial service for her son on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)
Rodney Wells, stepfather of Tyre Nichols speaks during a memorial service for his son Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)
A portrait of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)