The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office released a press release on Wednesday stating that two deputies have been disciplined for five days without pay for their involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols.
The two deputies who have been placed on administrative leave are Jeremy Watkins and Johntavious Bowers.
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After the two patrol deputies tried to hide their role in the tragic police beating that occurred on January 7, the SCSO said they decided that the two deputies broke laws.
This internal investigation was initiated by Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr., who claimed, “Since I had concerns about two deputies that arrived at the scene after the physical altercation between police and Tyre Nichols, I decided it was necessary to conduct this investigation.”
Watkins, who had been a deputy since June 2021, broke four different regulations in the course of his work: the Radio Communication Procedures, the Mobile Video Recording (MVR) System Procedures, the Patrol Field Job Duties and Responsibilities, and the Operational Responsibility of Daily Activity Log.
Watkins forgot to include in his daily activity diary that he was present at Castlegate Lane on the evening of January 7 when the fatal beating occurred, according to his writing.
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Tyre Nichols Death Investigation Update
The fact that the victim died as a direct result of the occurrence is evidence of this. Moreover, he failed to turn on the body camera that he was wearing or inform a supervisor that he was present when the incident took place.
Bowers, a deputy who has been working for the agency since June 2021, broke three regulations during his time there: the Radio Communication Protocols, the Mobile Video Recording (MVR) System Procedures, and the Patrol Field Work Duties and Responsibilities.
In addition, Bowers did not activate his body camera or communicate through radio to his supervisor that he was present at the incident.
The effective date of each ban was the 15th of February in 2023. The Sheriff’s Office currently believes that there will be no charges filed as a result of the investigation and review conducted by the TBI and the District Attorney’s Office.
Therefore, the SCSO believes that it is appropriate to release the outcome of the internal review at this time, as they stated.
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