Memphis Police Department Public Information Officer Major Karen Rudolph told The Tennessee Star in an emailed statement on Tuesday, “There is no evidence that indicates that either of these claims are true,” in response to two questions posed to her by The Star:
1. Multiple sources in Memphis tell us that one of the five former Memphis Police officers charged with 2nd degree murder in the beating death of Tyre Nichols targeted Mr. Nichols for a beating because Mr. Nichols was in a personal relationship with the officer’s current or former significant other. Can you confirm or deny this report?
2. Multiple sources in Memphis tell us that one or more of the five former Memphis Police officers were affiliated with the Vice Lords gang. Can you confirm or deny this report?
The Star was prompted to pose these questions directly to the Memphis Police Department after more than two dozen sources in the Memphis area told The Star that both these claims were widely circulating.
Multiple sources asserted that these claims were provided to them from sources within the Memphis Police Department, but no source has provided direct evidence on the claims and no source within the Memphis Police Department has come forward to The Star to make or confirm the claims.
The claims have been widely reported and repeated on social media.
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