Nichols’ alleged constitutional deprivation.” In the court filing asking to strike mentions of RED DOG, the city and officials argued the “plaintiff supports her claims against the City by pleading allegations related to the Atlanta-based RED DOG Unit’s alleged practices and constitutional violations, none of which establishes that the City of Memphis was the moving force or a direct causal link in Mr. Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis, who is one of the defendants in the lawsuit, and assistant police chief Shawn Davis were previously involved with the unit, according to the court motion. Tyre Nichols died from blunt force trauma to the head from Memphis police beating, autopsy showsĪtlanta’s RED DOG unit – an acronym said to stand for Run Every Drug Dealer Out of Georgia – was politically popular but was shut down in 2011 after years of complaints, including the filing of a federal lawsuit by customers at a gay bar after an aggressive raid, CNN previously reported.
