Family Demands Disbandment of SCORPION Unit

The Memphis police’s “elite” SCORPION task force was involved in the beating which resulted in the death of FedEx worker Tyre Nichols — and his family are now demanding the squad be disbanded.

At least two of the five officers who have now been charged with murder over Nichol’s savage pepper spraying and clubbing on Jan. 7 were members of the unit, whose acronym stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods.

“This SCORPION unit was…creating a continual pattern and practice of bad behavior,” charged Nichols family attorney Antonio Romanucci at a press conference Friday.

The secretive 50 person unit was created in 2021 as a response to a skyrocketing murder rate in the city. They were deployed in high-crime neighborhoods, often using unmarked vehicles and targeted homicides, assaults and major felonies.

Mayor Jim Strickland championed the unit in a 2022 city address, pointing out how they had made over 550 arrests and were having a significant impact on violent crimes.

However, Nichols — a gentle 29-year-old father, who weighed 150lbs despite being over 6′ tall due to a battle with Chron’s disease and had no known criminal record — did not appear to fit the profile of the average person the SCORPION unit targeted. He was also initially pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving before altercation which ended his life.

During Friday’s press conference, Romanucci said SCORPION had a higher rate of violence than other departments within Memphis PD, claims which could not immediately be substantiated by The Post.

“We are asking Memphis Police to disband this SCORPION unit immediately. It has now been corrupted,” he said, noting that he believed Nichols was caught in a failed “sting” by SCORPION officers.... (Read more)

Latest News