MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The first paramedic who treated Tyre Nichols the night he was beaten by police testified Wednesday that none of the officers told him that Nichols had been hit, kicked and punched, and the lack of information may have delayed Nichols getting effective care.
Jesse James Guy III said he couldn’t get to Nichols at first, because the scene was blocked by police vehicles. Nichols was propped up against a car and was not responsive.
He said he knew that this was a medical emergency as soon as he laid eyes on Nichols, but he didn’t know what caused it. Guy said he noticed that officers were talking to each other but not him.
“It was an eerie feeling that night,” Guy said. “Something was going on but I didn’t know what it was. It made me question things.”
Guy said he gave Nichols intranasal Narcan because officers told him they thought he “took something.” Nichols did not respond to the Narcan, so Guy started Narcan intravenously, but he didn’t respond to that, either.
“I was clueless about what was going on with him,” he said.
Guy said he did not detect a pulse on Nichols, and he was not breathing. They gave him oxygen, got him on the stretcher, and took him to St. Francis Hospital because it was close.
“I tried to save his life. That was my ultimate goal. I wanna save his life,” Guy said.
Guy said he was able to restart Nichols’ heart while headed to the hospital. He said he asked an officer at St. Francis for information on what exactly happened to him but didn’t get an answer.
Two other witnesses were questioned on Wednesday – Demetrius Haley’s ex-girlfriend Brittany Leake, and Yentl Evans, the dispatcher who answered the officers’ call that night.
Leake, who is also an MPD officer, said she and Haley had dated in 2022 and broke up in October of that same year. She told the jury they stayed in contact after they ended their relationship.
On Jan. 7, she and Haley were talking on the phone when he got the call about Nichols. Leake said he put her on hold when he got to the scene and she heard what she described as “a commotion.” She heard the words “Give me your hands” and “Why are ya’ll doing this?”
Haley ended the call, but a short time later, Leake received a photo of Tyre Nichols lying against a car, badly bruised.
Leake told the jury she replied to the photo saying “Oh my God he definitely needs to go to The Med,” but Haley did not reply. She said she deleted the photo because “It was difficult to look at.”
Prosecutors questioned Leake on whether Haley had ever sent her photos of arrestees in the past. She admitted this was not the first time, but stated she had never sent any back because “It is against policy.”
The federal trial for three former Memphis Police officers charged in the beating of Tyre Nichols began Wednesday with former officer Emmitt Martin still on the stand.
Martin said he lied at the time to internal affairs investigators “because what I was saying wasn’t true. I had to cover that up. … I didn’t have to but I did. I couldn’t justify what I did so I had to leave it out.”
Last month, Martin, one of the accused officers, pleaded guilty to two of the four counts against him – excessive force and conspiracy to witness tamper. Now, he is testifying against his colleagues Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, who were also federally charged.
Martin said he came to testify in hopes of getting a better deal, stating that he hoped the judge would show him some leniency. But, he also mentioned that it was time for him to come forward because he “can’t sit here and live with a lie.”
“I am just here to accept my punishment for my wrongdoing,” said Martin. “It was eating me up inside to live with a lie when I knew what I did was wrong. Whatever you see on the video and whatever I’m saying is the truth. I’m ready to just get this off of me.”
The defense began their cross-examinations on Tuesday with John Keith Perry, Bean’s lawyer, questioning Martin on why he left information out of his testimony. Stephen Leffler talked about when Martin was hit by a car while on duty in November 2022. Martin’s past traumas and mental stability were also discussed.
The defense continued their cross-examinations on Wednesday morning with Leffler letting Martin know that if his story changes, his current plea deal could be taken away or altered. Leffler brought up Martin’s meetings with the TBI, FBI, and U.S. Attorneys and how his statements changed about exaggerating Nichols’ pulling at his gun.
Martin Zummach, Justin Smith’s lawyer, started off his cross-examination by pressing Martin on the “homicidal thoughts” he had some time prior to when Nichols was beaten. Zummach suggested Martin spoke with Smith before Jan. 7 about the thoughts, but Martin corrected him, noting that his therapist was the only person aware of them.
“I was having homicidal thoughts the day after I got hit by the car, and the day after that, and the day after that, but not on January 7,” said Martin. “I wanted revenge against the person who hit me with their car.”
Zummach also asked Martin why he did not discuss the kicks to Nichols with the other officers on the scene, and suggested they were not brought up because Martin was afraid Smith would tell on him. Zummach described a previous situation where an officer was allegedly turned in by Smith for hitting a Black “mental consumer.”
Martin explained that this was not the case, and the team had an unwritten agreement that “they won’t tell on me, and I won’t tell on them.” He said he is unaware of who actually turned the officer in.
Zummach continued his cross-examination by questioning Martin on the statements he gave to the FBI. He was searching for inconsistencies in his responses compared to Martin’s testimony.
The fact that Martin was pepper sprayed on the first scene was again brought up, this time by Zummach. He said Martin previously told the FBI that when he arrived at the second scene he saw through the windshield of his car that the other officers were beating Nichols. Zummach questioned how this was possible if he had just been “blinded” by pepper spray.