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Best Labor Day 2024 deals you can shop right now at all retailers

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Best Labor Day 2024 deals you can shop right now at all retailers

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Labor Day weekend is just a few days away, so retailers have already kick started their Labor Day sales. For those who don’t know, Labor Day weekend is one of the biggest sales events of the year. It’s a great time to save on home, tech and travel essentials, especially high-priced products such as TVs, appliances, furniture and more. 

For those who are itching to start their Labor Day weekend shopping now, we rounded up all the best early Labor Day sales available right now. The savings so far are impressive, with shoppers able to save up to 50% on indoor and outdoor furniture, kitchen essentials and premium mattresses. Shop some of our favorite retailers’ Labor Day sales and be sure to check back as we update this article with more Labor Day sales as they happen.


When is Labor Day 2024?

This year, Labor Day is on Monday, September 2, 2024. 

When do Labor Day sales start?

Many brands have already started their Labor Day sales. It’s not uncommon for retailers to start their Labor Day sales ahead of the holiday to generate excitement (and additional sales) from shoppers. 

Where (and on what) can we expect the best Labor Day sales?

The best Labor Day deals can usually be found on high-priced products, such as home appliances, outdoor furniture, TVs, computers and mattresses. 

Labor Day is also a great time to score major discounts on home decor. That’s because retailers’ fall and Halloween inventory has already arrived, so stores are marking down prices on tons of products to clear their stores’ shelves and warehouses of summer products.


Best Labor Day deals to shop now

  • Away: The luggage brand that doesn’t do sales all that often is offering up to 50% off backpacks, carryalls, duffles, sling bags and more Away luggage
  • Amazon: Amazon’s Labor Day sale is already live, offering consumers discounts across various shopping categories, including tech, kitchen, home, furniture and plenty of Weber grills. (You can find more of our Amazon Labor Day deal picks below.)
  • Article: This premium furniture brand has put more than 450 of its products on sale for Labor Day. You could save up to $1,000 on side tables, armchairs, couches, beds, lighting, patio furniture and more. 
  • Avocado Mattress: The brand famous for its organic mattresses is offering 20% off their mattresses as well as 10% off on pillows, furniture, bath and body products, and robes and pajamas. You can also save 50% on the brand’s loungewear and Suvin and Hemp bedding. 
  • Casterly: This splurge-worthy furniture brand is offering shoppers up to $450 off purchases site-wide. You can also get up to 40% off on-sale items during Labor Day. 
  • EyeBuyDirect: The EyeBuyDirect Labor Day sale is on now. Right now you can buy one pair of eyeglasses at their already low price, plus save a whopping 65% off the second pair when you use promo code HOT65 at checkout. Check out more information about this sale on popular prescription eyewear.
  • Eyeglasses.com – Save up to 50% on prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. Use promo code CBSNEWS50 at check.out.
  • Frontgate: The brand that bills itself as having “the world’s best outdoor furniture” is discounting its outdoor sets up to $2,200 off (you’ll also get free shipping with that purchase). Shopping for indoor furniture and decor? Don’t worry, there’s a discount for that (25% off site-wide, to be exact). 
  • Home Depot: The home improvement retailer’s Labor Day sale is happening now, with big savings on appliances, tools, outdoor power equipment, grills and patio furniture. Some of Home Depot’s best Halloween decorations are also on sale. 
  • Leesa: Save 30% on Leesa mattresses for Labor Day. You can score a free sleep bundle with the purchase of select mattresses, which includes a free pillow set and microfiber sheet set. You can also save 25% off bases and bedding as well as 15% off kids mattresses. 
  • LG: Save big on appliances this Labor Day with LG. The brand is offering discounts of up to 30% off on dishwashers, washers, dryers, washer towers, microwaves and more. 
  • Nolah Mattress: Nolah’s Labor Day mattress sale is one of the earliest we’ve seen, gifting shoppers with a site-wide discount of 35% off. But the deal gets even sweeter for CBS Essentials readers. Enter our exclusive Nolah promo code CBSNEWS50 at checkout and you’ll save an additional $50 off your already discounted mattress purchase. 
  • Pottery Barn: Shoppers will appreciate Pottery Barn’s Labor Day sale, which includes up to 60% off hundreds of the brand’s items, ranging from patio furniture to decorative accent pillows. (While you’re there, check out the new Pottery Barn Halloween collection.)
  • Purple: Purple’s Labor Day sale is the biggest the brand has had so far this year. You can save up to $700 on mattresses and up to $300 on bases.
  • Walmart: Don’t miss Walmart’s Labor Day sale, with deep discounts on TVs and more tech, home essentials and more. One of our favorite deals: The retailer’s bestselling 4-piece patio furniture set is clearance priced at $185, the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
  • Wayfair: Save up to 70% ahead of Labor Day across Wayfair’s many home departments including furniture, outdoor, rugs, kitchen, lighting and more. 
  • West Elm: Labor Day is a great time to save on outdoor furniture from West Elm. The brand is offering up to 30% off all types of patio furniture, ranging from chairs to an outdoor kitchen. You can also shop their general sale section, which features up to 50% off on goods. 
  • Sam’s Club: If you’re not a Sam’s Club member yet, today is the perfect opportunity to join. New Club memberships are just $25, reduced from $50 (with auto-renew). There’s a $40 off discount on Sam’s Club Plus memberships too.
  • Samsonite: Level up your luggage for fall travel by taking advantage of Samsonite’s The Perfect Getaway Sale. Save up to 40% off (when you add the code EXTRA10 at checkout) on suitcases, travel backpacks and travel accessories. 
  • Samsung: During Samsung’s Labor Day sale, you can save up to $1,300 on eligible refrigerators, up to $1,300 on laundry combos, up to $500 on dishwashers, and up to $900 on the company’s most popular induction ranges.
  • Traeger: One of the best grill brands on the market is discounting select grills, including pellet grills, up to $300 for Labor Day. 
  • Tumi: Tumi, one of our favorite luxury travel brands is offering shoppers up to 40% off on luggage, travel backpacks, cosmetic bags, purses and even some of the brand’s phone cases. 

Does Amazon have a Labor Day sale? 

Yes. Amazon has already put loads of products on sale for Labor Day, including furniture, travel, kitchen, home and tech products. Scroll the brand’s deals page to find all of their Labor Day discounts. As Labor Day approaches though, we expect there to be plenty of limited-time and lightning deals, which could last anywhere from a few days (limited-time deals) to a couple of hours (lightning deals). 


Apple iPad (9th generation): $199 (Save 40%)

Apple iPad 9th Generation

Amazon


Amazon is a great place to score deals on a variety of Apple products. Case in point: You can get a new iPad for $199 at Amazon’s early Labor Day sale.

The ninth-generation Apple iPad offers 64 or 256 GB of space (price varies by size) and comes with all of Apple’s standard apps and features, including a front and back camera, perfect for pictures and FaceTime. The 10.2-inch Retina display will reveal a brilliant, crystal clear picture that will make watching your favorite TV shows or movies a near-immersive experience. 

The Apple iPad (9th generation) has a 4.8-star rating out of more than 66,800 ratings on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “I bought this for nursing school and it does everything I need it to! So far no issues with it and I’ve had it for six months.”

Another customer said, “This is my second iPad, and it works great. I can’t imagine using any other tablet brand, especially for internet browsing, gaming and work. Highly recommended.” 

More early Labor Day deals at Amazon:


Best deals at Walmart’s Labor Day sale

Walmart has a ton of deals available right now across all its major categories. Tap the button below to shop Amazon’s current selection of deals, or read on for some of our top Walmart sale picks.

Costway four-piece patio rattan conversation set: Save 45%

walmart-4-piece-rattan-patio-set-hero.jpg

Walmart


This is one of our bestselling products on CBS Essentials. Readers truly can’t stop buying it and we’re sure with this steeper discount, that won’t stop. This four-piece patio conversation set is popular for its affordability as well as its weather-resistant materials and modest size. You don’t need a big backyard to accommodate this patio furniture. It can seat between four to five people and comes in multiple cushion color options, including red and navy (price varies by color). 

The Costway four-piece patio rattan conversation set has a 4.3-star rating on Walmart. One reviewer wrote, “I’m glad we purchased this patio furniture. It’s sturdy and holds up well to the weather and the many guests we’ve entertained this summer. We got many compliments on it. You cannot beat the price.” 

Another customer wrote, “Looks exactly as pictured. Easy to assemble. Comfortable to just sit outside and relax. Love the color too!” 

More early Labor Day deals at Walmart: 


The best Labor Day deals at Wayfair

Furniture tends to go on deep discount during Labor Day, and Wayfair is one of our go-to places to shop for furniture online. Take a look at our top Wayfair sale picks this Labor Day.

Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse queen black Kawamoto bed: Save 68%

kawamoto-bed.jpg

Wayfair


This is one of Wayfair’s most impressive markdowns ahead of Labor Day. The Kawamoto bed from Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse is vintage-inspired and designed to be able to blend in well with a variety of decor styles, not just rustic, farmhouse decor. The frame has a weight capacity of 800 pounds and features ample under-bed storage, perfect for storing extra bed linens and other home essentials. 

This metal bed has a 4.7-star rating on Wayfair. One reviewer wrote, “The bed is super cute, and matches the decor I was looking for. Easy to assemble and very comfortable.” 

Another customer said, “Beautiful bed. It fits perfectly in our old farmhouse, but would be just as beautiful in a more modern designed room too.” 

More early Labor Day deals at Wayfair:


Best deals to shop at Target this Labor Day

Score deals on home goods and more at Target this Labor Day. Here are some of our top picks to shop there now.

Henckels Modernist 13-piece knife set with block: Save 69%

guest-4220f8af-5c38-4d51-8f42-ec3553fd7fda.jpg

Target


Every home cook needs a great set of knives. The problem with knife sets though is that a quality one usually costs an arm and a leg. This Henckels knife set is on sale and comparatively, quite affordable, with shoppers able to save a whopping $372 on their purchase. 

The set comes with every knife you’ll ever need, including 3- and 4-inch paring knives, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 7-inch hollow-edge santoku, an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch bread knife, four 4.5-inch steak knives, kitchen shears as well as sharpening steel, which will come in great handy when your knives need a tune-up. What’s more, they can be put in the dishwasher

The Henckels Modernist 13-piece knife set with block has a 4.8-star rating on Target. One reviewer wrote, “Enjoy the balance and fine sharpness of these knives. I have never used a better set of knives. The stainless steel look also matches my kitchen decor perfectly.” 


Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 5): $20 (50% off)

Grand Theft Auto V

Target


This mega-popular racing, action and shooting game for the PS5 is currently on sale for 50% off at Target, so you’ll ay just $20. The game offers enhanced levels of performance with new graphics modes that feature up to 4K resolution (60 frames per second)

Beyond the high action of this rated-M (for mature) game, we love that it offers HDR support and showcases the best of what the PS5 can do when it comes to ray tracing, displaying texture quality, and offering quick loading. As a result, the world of Los Santos and Blaine County offer far more intense action than ever before.

Be sure to visit Hao’s Special Works at the Los Santos Car Meet. It’s here you’ll discover elite new vehicle upgrades and exclusive modifications. You can then take your high-performance vehicle to participate in HSW races, new time trials, and more.


More early Labor Day deals at Target:


Best Labor Day deals at Best Buy

If you’re looking for some great deals on popular tech and major appliances, head over to Best Buy, where you can currently save up to 50% on some bestselling major appliances. Plus, when you purchase select appliances at the Best Buy Labor Day sale, you get a bonus Best Buy gift card worth up to $500, too.

Samsung 3-door French door smart refrigerator: $1,700 (save $640) + $200 gift card

Samsung 3-door French door smart refrigerator

Best Buy


Many major appliances are on sale for Labor Day at Best Buy, including this popular Samsung 3-door, French door refrigerator. It offers 312 cubit feet of space and can create four types of ice. It features a flat-front french door refrigerator design with recessed drawer handle that will blend beautifully into your kitchen.

And like most of Samsung’s newest appliances, this fridge can be monitored and controlled using the SmartThings mobile app. Meanwhile, the adjustable slide-in shelf offers a flexible design, so you can slide it back to create more room for tall and bulky items.

For a limited time, not only is this refrigerator on sale for a whopping $640 off, but with you get a $200 Best Buy gift card as a bonus with your purchase. 


GE 4.5 cubic foot high-efficiency top load washer: $560 (Save $240) + $50 gift card

GE 4.5 cubic foot high-efficiency top load washer

Best Buy


If you’re seeking an affordable, 4.5 cubit foot capacity, top-loading washer, this GE appliance is not on sale for just $560, which is a savings of $240. Plus, you get a $50 Best Buy gift card as a bonus. The agitator-driven washer comes in white, with a matte-black control panel.

One notable feature is the durable, built-in, dual action agitator that provides better circulation and turnover of clothes. This results in a deep clean, while being gentle on your clothes. You can manually add up to 26 gallons of water to the washer, or let the washer optimize the water level with its auto-fill feature.

And if you’re looking for a matching dryer, Best Buy has the GE 7.2 cubic foot gas dryer on sale for $660, which is $200 off. You also get a $50 Best Buy gift card with the purchase of this appliance. The matching electric version of the dryer is on sale for $560, with a $50 Best Buy gift card included.


Samsung 14″ Galaxy Book Edge4 Copilot+ PC: $1,000 (save $350)

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge Copilot+ PC

Best Buy


Here’s a chance to save $350 on one of the latest Windows laptops that offers the latest Microsoft CoPilot+ PC artificial intelligence integration built in. The laptop is powered using a Snapdragon X Elite processor and comes configured with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for storage.

Beyond the advanced AI features, we love that this laptop offers a lovely 14-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Battery life is up to 18 hours. Another notable feature is the laptop’s sound system, which includes four AKG speakers with a built in subwoofer.

This computer weighs in at just 2.62 pounds and is a mere 0.43 inches think when shut. It’s a great general purpose laptop that’s chock full of features offered at a very competitive price.


More early Labor Day deals at Best Buy:


Labor Day 2024 is almost here, which means Labor Day sales are live now. The shopping experts at CBS Essentials have scoured the best Labor Day sales at all your favorite retailers to bring you the best mattress deals, the best luggage deals, the best deals on major appliancesbest patio furniture clearance deals and even the best tire deals to shop this Labor Day.



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CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted dozens of women gets 30 years in prison as victims stare him down

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A longtime CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted more than two dozen women in postings around the world was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday after an emotional hearing in which victims described being deceived by a man who appeared kind, educated and part of an agency “that is supposed to protect the world from evil.”

Brian Jeffrey Raymond, with a graying beard and orange prison jumpsuit, sat dejectedly as he heard his punishment for one of the most egregious misconduct cases in the CIA’s history. It was chronicled in his own library of more than 500 images that showed him in some cases straddling and groping his nude, unconscious victims.

“It’s safe to say he’s a sexual predator,” U.S. Senior Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in imposing the full sentence prosecutors had requested. “You are going to have a period of time to think about this.”

Prosecutors say the 48-year-old Raymond’s assaults date to 2006 and tracked his career in Mexico, Peru and other countries, all following a similar pattern.

He would lure women he met on Tinder and other dating apps to his government-leased apartment and drug them while serving wine and snacks. Once they were unconscious, he spent hours posing their naked bodies before photographing and assaulting them. He opened their eyelids at times and stuck his fingers in their mouths.

raymond-high-2-e1635190292893-625x600.jpg
  Brian Jeffrey Raymond

U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico


One by one, about a dozen of Raymond’s victims who were identified only by numbers in court recounted how the longtime spy upended their lives. Some said they only learned what happened after the FBI showed them the photos of being assaulted while unconscious.

“My body looks like a corpse on his bed,” one victim said of the photos. “Now I have these nightmares of seeing myself dead.”

One described suffering a nervous breakdown. Another spoke of a recurring trance that caused her to run red lights while driving. Many told how their confidence and trust in others had been shattered forever.

“I hope he is haunted by the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life,” said one of the women, who like others stared Raymond down as they walked away from the podium.

Reading from a statement, Raymond told the judge that he has spent countless hours contemplating his “downward spiral.”

“It betrayed everything I stand for and I know no apology will ever be enough,” he said. “There are no words to describe how sorry I am. That’s not who I am and yet it’s who I became.”

In October 2021, the FBI issued a notice to the public, seeking other potential victims of and additional information about Raymond, saying that some women depicted in the incriminating photos and videos remain unidentified.

In a statement Wednesday, authorities praised all the victims who came forward.

“The FBI thanks the brave women who shared information that furthered this investigation,” said

FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office. “We recognize our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners who helped bring Raymond to justice for his reprehensible crimes.”

Raymond’s sentencing comes amid a reckoning on sexual misconduct at the CIA. The Associated Press reported last week that another veteran CIA officer faces state charges in Virginia for allegedly reaching up a co-worker’s skirt and forcibly kissing her during a drunken party in the office.

Still another former CIA employee – an officer trainee – is scheduled to face a jury trial next month on charges he assaulted a woman with a scarf in a stairwell at the agency’s Langley, Virginia, headquarters. That case emboldened some two dozen women to come forward to authorities and Congress with accounts of their own of sexual assaults, unwanted touching and what they contend are the CIA’s efforts to silence them.

And yet the full extent of sexual misconduct at the CIA remains a classified secret in the name of national security, including a recent 648-page internal watchdog report that found systemic shortcomings in the agency’s handling of such complaints.

“The classified nature of the activities allowed the agency to hide a lot of things,” said Liza Mundy, author of “Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA.” The male-dominated agency, she said, has long been a refuge for egregious sexual misconduct. “For decades, men at the top had free rein.”

CIA has publicly condemned Raymond’s crimes and implemented sweeping reforms intended to keep women safe, streamline claims and more quickly discipline offenders.

Last year, the CIA announced the appointment of Dr. Taleeta Jackson, a seasoned psychologist who previously led the Sexual Assault Prevention Program at the U.S. Navy, as the new head of a dedicated sexual assault and prevention office at CIA.

“There is absolutely no excuse for Mr. Raymond’s reprehensible, appalling behavior,” the agency said Wednesday. “As this case shows, we are committed to engaging with law enforcement.”

But a veil of secrecy still surrounds the Raymond case nearly four years after his arrest. Even after Raymond pleaded guilty late last year, prosecutors have tiptoed around the exact nature of his work and declined to disclose a complete list of the countries where he assaulted women.

Still, they offered an unbridled account of Raymond’s conduct, describing him as a “serial offender” whose assaults increased over time and become “almost frenetic” during his final CIA posting in Mexico City, where he was discovered in 2020 after a naked woman screamed for help from his apartment balcony.

U.S. officials scoured Raymond’s electronic devices and began identifying the victims he had listed by name and physical characteristics, all of whom described experiencing some form of memory loss during their time with him.

One victim said Raymond seemed like a “perfect gentleman” when they met in Mexico in 2020, recalling only that they kissed. Unbeknownst to the woman, after she blacked out, he took 35 videos and close-up photos of her breasts and genitals.

“The defendant’s manipulation often resulted in women blaming themselves for losing consciousness, feeling ashamed, and apologizing to the defendant,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing. “He was more than willing to gaslight the women, often suggesting that the women drank too much and that, despite their instincts to the contrary, nothing had happened.”

Raymond, a San Diego native and former White House intern who is fluent in Spanish and Mandarin, ultimately pleaded guilty to four of 25 federal counts including sexual abuse, coercion and transportation of obscene material. As part of his sentence, the judge ordered him to pay $10,000 to each of his 28 victims.

Raymond’s attorneys had sought leniency, contending his “quasi-military” work at the CIA in the years following 9/11 became a breeding ground for the emotional callousness and “objectification of other people” that enabled his years of preying upon women.

“While he was working tirelessly at his government job, he ignored his own need for help, and over time he began to isolate himself, detach himself from human feelings and become emotionally numb,” defense attorney Howard Katzoff wrote in a court filing.

“He was an invaluable government worker, but it took its toll on him and sent him down a dark path.”



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Python squeezes Thai woman in her kitchen for 2 hours before she’s rescued by police

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Bangkok — A 64-year-old woman was preparing to do her evening dishes at her home outside Bangkok when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and looked down to see a huge python taking hold of her.

“I was about to scoop some water and when I sat down it bit me immediately,” Arom Arunroj told Thailand’s Thairath newspaper. “When I looked I saw the snake wrapping around me.”

The 13-to-16-foot-long python coiled itself around her torso, squeezing her down to the floor of her kitchen.

“I grabbed it by the head, but it wouldn’t release me,” she said. “It only tightened.”

Thailand Snake Attack
A photo provided by Kunyakit Thanawtchaikun shows a python coiled around the torso of Arom Arunro, squeezing her down to the floor of her kitchen in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, Sept. 17, 2024.

Kunyakit Thanawtchaikun/AP


Pythons are non-venomous constrictors, which kill their prey by gradually squeezing the breath out of it.

Propped up against her kitchen door, she cried for help but it wasn’t until a neighbor happened to be walking by about an hour and a half later and heard her screams that authorities were called.

Responding police officer Anusorn Wongmalee told The Associated Press on Thursday that when he arrived the woman was still leaning against her door, looking exhausted and pale, with the snake coiled around her.

Police and animal control officers used a crowbar to hit the snake on the head until it released its grip and slithered away before it could be captured.

In all, Arom spent about two hours on Tuesday night in the clutches of the python before being freed.

She was treated for several bites but appeared to be otherwise unharmed in videos of her talking to Thai media shortly after the incident.

Encounters with snakes are not uncommon in Thailand, and last year 26 people were killed by venomous snake bites, according to government statistics. A total of 12,000 people were treated for venomous bites by snakes and other animals 2023.

The reticulated python is the largest snake found in Thailand and usually ranges in size from 5 to 21 feet, weighing up to about 165 pounds. They have been found as big as 33 feet long and 287 pounds.

Smaller pythons feed on small mammals such as rats, but larger snakes switch to prey such as pigs, deer and even domestic dogs and cats. Attacks on humans are not common, though do happen occasionally.

There have also been fatal attacks in Indonesia, where a woman was found inside the belly of a reticulated python that swallowed her whole in June — the fifth person to be devoured by one of the snakes in the country since 2017.



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After Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating, Memphis officer texted photo of bloodied man to ex-girlfriend, she testifies

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A former Memphis police officer charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols sent his ex-girlfriend a photo of the badly injured man on the night he was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop, according to trial testimony Wednesday.

Brittany Leake, a Memphis officer and Demetrius Haley’s former girlfriend, testified during the criminal trial that she was on the phone with Haley when officers pulled Nichols over for a traffic stop. She said she heard a “commotion,” including verbal orders for someone to give officers his hands.

The call ended, but Haley later texted the photo in a group chat comprising Haley, Leake and her godsister, she testified. Prosecutors displayed the photo for the jury. It showed Nichols with his eyes closed, on the ground with what appeared to be blood near his mouth and his hands behind his back.

Leake said that when she saw the photo, her reaction was: “Oh my God, he definitely needs to go to the Med.”

The Med is shorthand for Memphis’ trauma hospital.

The fatal beating, caught on police bodycams and street surveillance cameras, has sparked protests and calls for police reform. Officers said they pulled over Nichols for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief said there was no evidence to substantiate that claim.

Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith are on trial after pleading not guilty to charges that they deprived Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. Their trial began Sept. 9 and is expected to run three to four weeks. 

Tyre Nichols
Former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn.

George Walker IV / AP


The Memphis Police Department fired the three men, along with Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., after Nichols’ death. The beating was caught on police video, which was released publicly. The officers were later indicted on the federal charges. Martin and Mills have taken plea deals.

During her testimony Wednesday, Leake said she deleted the photo after she saw it and that sending such a photo is against police policy.

“I wasn’t offended, but it was difficult to look at,” she said.

Leake said Haley had sent her photos before of drugs, and of a person who had been injured in a car accident.

Earlier Wednesday, Martin was on the witness stand for a third day. Defense attorneys tried to show inconsistencies between Martin’s statements to investigators and his court testimony. Martin acknowledged lying about what happened to Memphis Police Department internal investigators, to try to cover up and “justify what I did.”

But Martin said he told the truth to FBI investigators after he pleaded guilty in August, including statements about feeling pressure on his duty belt where his gun was located during the traffic stop, but not being able to see if Nichols was trying to get his gun. Martin has testified that he said “let go of my gun” during the traffic stop.

Martin Zummach, the attorney for Justin Smith, asked Martin if he knew of any reasons why Nichols did not simply say, “I give up.”

“He’s out of it,” Martin said. “Disoriented.”

Martin testified that the situation escalated quickly when Haley pulled his gun and violently yanked Nichols from his car, using expletives and failing to tell Nichols why he had been pulled over and removed from the vehicle.

“He never got a chance to comply,” Martin said.

Nichols, who was Black, was pepper sprayed and hit with a stun gun during the traffic stop, but ran away, police video shows. The five officers, who also are Black, then beat him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.

Video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggled with his injuries. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.

An autopsy report shows Nichols – the father of a boy who is now 7 – died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.

Jesse Guy testified that he was working as a paramedic for the Memphis Fire Department the night of the beating. He arrived at the location after two emergency medical technicians, Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge.

Guy said he was not told about the medical problems Nichols had experienced before he arrived, and that Nichols was injured, seated on the ground and unresponsive.

Nichols had no pulse and was not breathing, and it “felt like he was lifeless,” Guy said.

In the ambulance, Guy performed CPR and provided mechanical ventilation, and Nichols had a pulse by the time he arrived at the hospital, the paramedic said.

Guy said Long and Sandridge did not say if they had checked Nichols’ pulse and heart rate, and they did not report if they had given him oxygen. When asked by one of Bean’s lawyers whether that information would have been helpful in treating Nichols, Guy said yes.

Long and Sandridge were fired for violating fire department policies after Nichols died. They have not been criminally charged.

The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas.

Federal prosecutors have previously recommended a 40-year sentence for Martin. A date has not been set in state court yet.

Nichols worked for FedEx, and he enjoyed skateboarding and photography. The city of Sacramento, where Nichols grew up, named a skatepark in his honor. “Tyre fell in love with skateboarding at a young age and it wasn’t long before it became a part of his lifestyle,” states the resolution approved by the city council. He had a tattoo of his mother’s name.

“Tyre Nichols’ family have been praying for justice and accountability from the very beginning of this tragedy,” Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the civil rights attorneys representing Nichols’ family, said in a statement when the trial began. 



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