Retired Memphis homicide detective Mark LeSure was found dead in front of his home Sunday morning. Police have not released a cause of death. LeSure had criticized his department over the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
A retired homicide detective with the Memphis Police Department was found dead in front of his home Sunday, authorities said.
Mark LeSure, 57, "was in the driveway when we got here, lying face down,” his aunt, Rose LeSure-Jones, told WREG-TV Sunday. “Whatever it was he didn’t deserve this. He really didn’t. He was a good guy. One of the good guys, really.”
The Memphis Police Department in Tennessee confirmed Tuesday that LeSure's body was found in his front yard. A cause of death has not been released.
The 24-year veteran officer had been outspoken earlier this year after the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police following a traffic stop, authorities said.
“Human beings man, that’s what happened,” he told The New York Times. “They let their emotions get the best of them, and there was no veteran officer there to stop them. Usually, when vets are there, things go differently because we have that experience to say, ‘I understand you’re mad, but you got to stop. You can’t do this, it isn’t right.’”
A coroner ruled Nichols died from blunt-force trauma. Bodycam video released by the department showed Nichols being chased, kicked and beaten as he shouted for his mother, who lived nearby.
After the January beating, the Memphis Police Department announced it had fired five officers following an investigation into Nichols' death.
A grand jury indicted the five officers: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith. All pleaded not guilty in February to charges including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping.
Their legal cases are ongoing.
LeSure was remembered by friends and family as a kind and devoted community member who mentored young people and encouraged them and his relatives to be better people.
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