Demetrius Haley sent photographs of Nichols to other officers and a female acquaintance

Newly released documents in the case of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police last month provide a scathing account of what authorities called the “blatantly unprofessional” conduct of five officers, and include new revelations about how one of them took and shared pictures of the bloodied victim.

The officer, Demetrius Haley, stood over Nichols as he lay propped against a police car after the lengthy assault, and took photographs, which Haley sent to other officers and a female acquaintance, according to documents released by the Tennessee peace officers standards and training commission on Tuesday.

“Your on-duty conduct was unjustly, blatantly unprofessional and unbecoming for a sworn public servant,” the Memphis police department wrote in requesting that Haley and the other officers be stripped of their professional certification as law enforcement personnel.

All five have already been fired and charged with second degree murder and other felonies following the attack on a defenseless Nichols after a traffic stop on 7 January and his death in hospital three days later.

Nichols’s death sparked protests and fresh calls for reform of police in Memphis and nationwide.

Haley’s lawyer declined to comment, and lawyers for the other four officers either declined to comment or did not respond to requests from the Associated Press.

The new documents offer the most detailed account to date of the actions of the five officers, Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III.

Another officer has also been fired and a seventh has been relieved of duty in connection with the latest police killing to prompt angry nationwide protests and an intense public conversation about how police officers treat Black residents.

As many as 13 Memphis officers could end up being disciplined, officials said on Tuesday.

The newly released documents are part of a request by the Memphis Police Department that the five officers who have been charged with murder be decertified and prohibited from working in law enforcement again. The Memphis police chief, Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, signed each of the five requests to decertify the officers.

Haley, who was driving an unmarked car and wore a black sweatshirt hoodie over his head, forced Nichols from his car using loud profanity, then sprayed him directly in the eyes with a chemical irritant spray, according to the statement.

“You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest,” it states.

Haley did not have his body camera on when he stopped Nichols but was on a phone call with someone who overheard the encounter.

Nichols ran from the officers but was apprehended again a few blocks away. At that point, Haley kicked him in the torso as three other officers were handcuffing him. Other officers kicked Nichols in the face, punched him or struck him with a baton. According to footage captured on a utility pole camera, one of the officers appears to quickly take a photo of Nichols on his phone as flashlights are shined on him.

Martin claimed Nichols tried to snatch the officer’s gun from his holster after another officer forced him out of the vehicle, with Martin helping by grabbing Nichols’ wrist. However, video evidence doesn’t corroborate the gun-grab claim, the documents said.

Martin also failed to disclose in a required form that he punched Nichols in the face and kicked him multiple times, and instead added in his later statement to investigators that he gave “body blows”, the documents said. Video showed Martin kicking Nichols repeatedly and punching him in the face five times while two officers held Nichols’ arms.