The case in the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police has seen a significant development. One of the officers involved in the incident has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

The officer, Desmond Mills Jr., was charged in connection with the beating and subsequent death of Nichols.

Desmond Mills Jr., one of five former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to two felony charges of obstruction of justice and excessive force.

He is the first of the five officers indicted on federal charges by a grand jury in September to plead guilty. As part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, he must fully cooperate with a separate state case against the officers that includes charges of second-degree murder. His cooperation is expected to include pleading guilty to at least some of the state charges.

Prosecutors recommended that Mr. Mills serve a 15-year prison sentence, said Steve Mulroy, the Shelby County district attorney, at a news conference after Mr. Mills changed his plea. The remaining four officers have all pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges.

The tragic incident took place on January 7 when Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was heading home at the end of the day. He was stopped by police, and the encounter quickly escalated. Street and bodycam footage documented the altercation, and it quickly went viral on social media when it was released.

BREAKING: Memphis PD have released body cam footage from the violent altercation between officers and the late Tyre Nichols.

Read more: https://t.co/WgHNhRgmtn pic.twitter.com/h9zEKoFuhX

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 28, 2023

The authorities responded quickly after the incident by firing and taking disciplinary action against the officers and some of the emergency medical personnel. It also disbanded the “Scorpion Unit,” the group to which the five defendants belonged. The unit was known for using excessive force and intimidation tactics.

Mills, as part of his plea deal, will cooperate with federal prosecutors in a separate state case against the other officers, which includes charges of second-degree murder. The authorities have recommended a 15-year prison sentence for Mills. Currently, the other officers previously pleaded not guilty.

After the hearing, Ben Crump, the attorney representing the Nichols family, said “this is the first domino to fall,” and suggested that this could prompt the other officers to plead guilty as well.

When the federal charges against the five officers were first announced, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “We all heard Mr. Nichols cry out for his mother and say, ‘I’m just trying to go home.’” And that Nichols “should be alive today.”

Nichols, who was originally from Sacramento, California, was an avid skateboarder and photographer. On the night of his encounter with the police, he had been taking pictures of the sunset at a local park nearby. He left behind a young son.

This case is different from similar instances, in that the local police department was quick to release the bodycam footage while firing the officers. This likely deterred large-scale unrest in the area because it sent the message that law enforcement was taking the matter seriously. Given the racially charged environment, this senseless killing could have ignited more of a controversy. But the fact that the authorities seemed to be willing to hold its officers accountable seemed to calm tensions.

As this is a developing story, RedState will provide updates as they become available.