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The US government has launched an investigation into the Memphis Police Department following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, as additional footage which was due to be released was delayed.

The US Justice Department announced it will review the police department’s policies on the use of force and de-escalation in the wake of the 29-year-old’s death in January.

It comes as Memphis city officials were due to release around 20 hours of additional video and audio related to the arrest of Mr Nichols.

However, a judge granted a delay until prosecutors and attorneys for five former officers charged in the case can review the material.

The father-of-one died three days after several officers punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in Tennessee, after he was pulled over during a traffic stop on 7 January.

The fatal beating sparked outrage over police violence in the US.

Judge James Jones of the Criminal Court of Tennessee issued the ruling on Wednesday, in response to a motion filed by an attorney for one of the officers seeking the delay.

Previous bodycam and CCTV footage released by Memphis Police, showed officers beating Mr Nichols for three minutes as he was heard screaming “mom, mom” several times.

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‘I didn’t do anything’, pleads Tyre Nichols

However, the four shorter videos previously released did not reveal what led to the traffic stop or shed light on what paramedics who responded to the incident were told by officers at the scene.

Five officers, who are all black, have been charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith all pleaded not guilty to the charges in February.

The review by the Justice Department was requested by the city’s mayor and police chief. Once completed, a public report will outline the findings with recommendations.

In a separate effort, the department will examine the use of specialised units around the country and produce a guide for police chiefs and mayors on their use.

The department has previously opened a civil rights investigation into Mr Nichols’ death.

Read more:
How the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols unfolded
Three emergency workers fired over response to Tyre Nichols death

Police said Mr Nichols was suspected of reckless driving when he was arrested but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video footage.

Memphis Police director Cerelyn Davis initially defended the anti-crime task force Scorpion unit after Mr Nichols’ death, but later disbanded it and said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response.

A total of 13 officers have come under investigation for their conduct. Seven were fired, three were suspended, two had charges dismissed, and one resigned in lieu of termination.

Three members of the Memphis Fire Department were also fired and one was suspended.

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Obamas planned to see Reiners the night they were killed, says ex-US first lady

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Obamas planned to see Reiners the night they were killed, says ex-US first lady

Michelle Obama says she and husband Barack Obama were due to see director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife Michele Reiner the night they were killed.

The former US first lady has paid tribute to the couple, who were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday night.

The Reiners’ son, Nick, 32, was arrested and will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents.

Michelle Obama revealed the couple had been due to meet the Reiners the night they died. File pic: AP
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Michelle Obama revealed the couple had been due to meet the Reiners the night they died. File pic: AP

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ms Obama said of the Hollywood couple: “We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night.”

Rob Reiner was active in politics, supporting liberal causes.

Ms Obama’s comments came after Donald Trump suggested the 78-year-old died because of his anti-Trump views.

He referred to the director as “tortured and struggling” and said he and his 68-year-old wife had died “reportedly due to the anger he caused” by opposing the Republican president.

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Reiners were ‘not deranged’

Ms Obama said: “Let me just say this, unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know.

“They are not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on.”

File pic: AP
Image:
File pic: AP

The former first lady highlighted how caring the couple were; stating they cared about their family, country and fairness and equality.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump suggested the Reiners died “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement syndrome”.

“He was known to have driven people crazy by his raging obsession of President Donald J Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before.”

Rob Reiner with Hillary Clinton. Pic: Reuters
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Rob Reiner with Hillary Clinton. Pic: Reuters

Rob Reiner was known for directing some of the most-loved films of the 1980s and 1990s, including the rom-com When Harry Met Sally and the legal thriller A Few Good Men.

Tributes pour in

Former US presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as former US speaker Nancy Pelosi also paid tribute to the director.

Mr Obama added: “Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.”

Michelle Obama spoke to Jimmy Kimmel. Pic: AP
Image:
Michelle Obama spoke to Jimmy Kimmel. Pic: AP

Among the other high-profile figures paying tribute was actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Reiner’s ex-wife in the hit comedy series New Girl. She said: “I will always remember them as they lived. Passionate. Political. Surrounded by family and friends.”

US actor Kevin Bacon, who starred in A Few Good Men, appeared emotional in a video he shared on Instagram, praising the director for giving him the role.

Bacon said: “The making of that movie was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had on a set.

“It was a magical time. So, I’m just sending love to everybody that knew him, because I know that everyone’s hurting today.”

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Reiner’s other films included The Princess Bride (1987), Ghosts Of Mississippi (1996) The Story Of Us (1999), The Magic Of Belle Isle (2012) and LBJ (2016).

Actress and activist Jane Fonda said she was “reeling with grief” in a post on Instagram, while Stephen King, whose books were adapted into Reiner’s 1986 Stand By Me and 1990’s Misery, said he was “horrified and saddened” by the death of the Reiners.

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Doctor sentenced over Matthew Perry’s death

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Doctor sentenced over Matthew Perry's death

A doctor has been sentenced to eight months of home confinement over the fatal overdose of Friends star Matthew Perry after pleading guilty to a drugs charge.

Mark Chavez, whose sentence included three years of supervised release, addressed the judge on Tuesday, saying he had recently lost a loved one and understood the grief that Perry’s death caused.

“I just want to say my heart goes out to the Perry family,” he added.

Mr Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine to Perry.

Plasencia contacted Chavez, 55, after learning that Perry, whose history of drug addiction was well documented, was interested in obtaining ketamine.

In text messages, Plasencia told Chavez – who previously ran a ketamine clinic – “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Lets [sic] find out”.

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Matthew Perry in 2015. File pic: Reuters
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Matthew Perry in 2015. File pic: Reuters


Chavez, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitted in his plea agreement to diverting ketamine from his former clinic to sell to Plasencia.

He also admitted to making false representations to a wholesale ketamine distributor in a bid to get more of the drug for Plasencia, submitting a bogus prescription in the name of a former patient without her knowledge or consent.

Plasencia was introduced to Perry in September 2023 by one of his patients, who described the actor as a “high profile person” willing to pay “cash and lots of thousands” for ketamine.

The same day they met, the doctor contacted Chavez, and drove to Costa Mesa to purchase $795 (£590) in ketamine vials and tablets, syringes, and gloves from him.

Plasencia then drove to Perry’s Los Angeles home, injected the star with ketamine, and left at least one more vial of ketamine with Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, who paid the doctor $4,500 (£3,350).

Plasencia is said to have distributed 20 vials and multiple tablets to Iwamasa and Perry, netting $57,000 (£42,500) from 30 September to 12 October, 2023, despite the going price of ketamine being roughly $15 (£11) per vial.

Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Reuters

The 44-year-old was jailed for two-and-a-half years on 3 December after pleading guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, having already surrendered his California medical license.

However, he did not supply the dose that killed Perry, who was found drowned in his hot tub at home after taking ketamine in October 2023.

Iwamasa, 60, admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine, despite having no medical training, including multiple times on the day he died.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and will be sentenced in January.

Also charged is Erik Fleming, 54, who admitted in court documents that he supplied the ketamine that killed Perry, having distributed 50 vials to Iwamasa – half of them four days before Perry died.

He further stated he obtained the drug from 42-year-old Jasveen Sangha, a dual US-UK citizen, nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen”.

Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

They will be sentenced in January and February respectively.

Perry had been taking ketamine legally as a treatment for depression, but sought more of the drug and started taking it unsupervised in the weeks before his death, acquiring it illegally from different sources.

The actor starred in 10 seasons of Friends, from 1994 to 2004, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, as well as appearing in the 2021 reunion show.

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Brown University shooting: New image and video released of ‘person of interest’

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Brown University shooting: New image and video released of 'person of interest'

Police investigating a deadly shooting at a US university have released a new image and video clips of a “person of interest”.

It comes as the manhunt for a gunman who killed two Brown University students and injured nine more in a classroom continued for a fourth day.

The shooting on Saturday afternoon unfolded on the first floor of the engineering and physics building while exams were taking place.

A law enforcement official said the attacker fired more than 40 rounds from a 9mm handgun in Providence, Rhode Island.

The new image showed a man dressed in dark clothing, wearing a black hat and face mask, walking down a street that day.

In all of the videos made public, the suspect’s face was either covered by a mask or turned away. He is described as stocky and about 5ft 8in (173cm) tall.

Authorities have released a video timeline showing the movements of the person of interest, including of him before the attack, in the hope that someone might recognise him.

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The clips showed a man walking briskly, and at one point running, between 2pm and 3pm local time, along several different streets, about a block away from the building where the attack would later take place.

The shooting happened at 4.03pm, and another clip showed the same person from a distance walking from the building’s car park towards the street, even as police cars with flashing lights arrived at the scene.

The final clip showed the man walking along that street about three minutes after the shooting.

Authorities on Sunday released a man who had been detained in connection with the attack.


Manhunt under way for university gunman

Read more:
Video of ‘person of interest’ in Brown shooting

Police have said there was no clear video of the gunman from inside the building.

Attorney general Peter Neronha said there were cameras in the newer part but “fewer, if any, cameras” where the shooting happened “because it’s an older building”.

The attack and the gunman’s escape have sparked concerns about campus safety, including the absence of security cameras, and led to calls for improved door locks.

More details about victims emerge

The students who were killed were Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Brandermill, Virginia.

Ms Cook was vice president of the College Republicans club at Brown University and Mr Umurzokov, whose family came to the US from Uzbekistan when he was a child, was an aspiring neurosurgeon.

The Reverend R Craig Smalley described Ms Cook as “an incredibly grounded, faithful, bright light” who encouraged and “lifted up those around her”.

In a GoFundMe post, Mr Umurzokov’s family described him as “incredibly kind, funny, and smart”.

“He always lent a helping hand to anyone in need without hesitation, and was the most kind-hearted person our family knew,” they said.

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