Preston Hemphill, white cop fired as part of Tyre Nichols' arrest, was once praised for his ability to 'extinguish a volatile situation'

• Tyre Nichols died three days after being pulled over and beaten by Memphis police officers.
• Preston Hemphill was the sixth officer fired over his role in Nichols' arrest.

Former Memphis Police Officer Preston Hemphill was praised by supervisors in his 2021 performance review for his honesty, reliability, and ability to "extinguish a volatile situation."

Hemphill, who joined the Memphis Police Department in March 2018, was fired on February 3 for his role at the scene of Tyre Nichols' beating. Lee Gerald, an attorney representing Hemphill, previously told Insider that his client "was the third officer at the initial stop of Mr. Nichols."

"As per departmental regulations Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam," Gerald said. He added that Hemphill "was never present at the second scene." The bodycam footage was later released by police, according to Gerald.

Personnel files obtained by Insider show that Hemphill had never before been cited for use-of-force-related misconduct, but was disciplined twice over damaging department equipment.

In July 2019, Hemphill left a ticket printer on the trunk of his cruiser after a traffic stop and it was destroyed when he drove away. In January 2022, he crashed his cruiser on his way to a shooting and damaged the front bumper.

Hemphill took full responsibility for both incidents and received written reprimands.

In a performance review last year, a supervisor identified as Lt. A King gave Hemphill mostly satisfactory marks, noting that he was polite, reliable, and has a good understanding of local laws. The supervisor even noted that he takes good care of department equipment.

"Officer Hemphill deals well with the public. He is polite, cordial, yet firm," King wrote. "He maintains control on scene and can easily extinguish a volatile situation. When on the scene he has an approachable demeanor, and responds in a polite manner when addressing citizens."

The one area that Hemphill needed improvement was judgment, with King noting that he had mishandled a call involving custodial issues.

Hemphill was the sixth and only white officer to be fired by the city of Memphis over the SCORPION unit's beating of Tyre Nichols.

Nichols, 29, called out for his mother three times while five police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — punched, kicked, and pepper-sprayed him on the street not far from his mother's home. He died three days later.

Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills, and Smith are facing murder charges.

Lawyers representing Nichols' family previously suggested that Hemphill, the only known white officer in the interaction, was receiving special treatment from the police department.

In a joint statement on January 3o, Nichols family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said it was "disappointing" that Hemphill had not yet been fired.