Three former Memphis officers were acquitted Wednesday of state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop, a death that sparked nationwide protests and prompted renewed calls for police reforms in the U.

The former police officers have already been convicted in federal court on some related charges and are awaiting their sentencing.

Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were among five officers charged in Nichols' brutal beating outside his mother's home in January 2023. A jury acquitted them on Wednesday, May 7, following a trial in Memphis, Tenn., the Associated Press reported.