Memphis PD lieutenant who trained officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death testifies

>>> TODAY, THE MEMPHIS POLICE LIEUTENANT WHO TRAINED THE OFFICERS CHARGED IN THE DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS TOLD THE JURY THAT NOT ONLY DID THEY NOT FOLLOW PROTOCOL WHILE TRYING TO HANDCUFF HIM, BUT THAT THE OTHER OFFICER SHOULD HAVE INTERVENED. NBC'S MARISSA PARA IS FOLLOWING THIS AND ALSO WITH ME, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AND NBC LEGAL ANALYST PAUL BUTLER. WHAT'S THE LATEST WE'RE HEARING OUT OF COURT, MARISSA? >> Reporter: HEY, CHRIS. SO, YOU MENTIONED THAT WE HEARD FROM THIS MEMPHIS POLICE LIEUTENANT, LIEUTENANT BRIGHT. THIS IS A LIEUTENANT WHO HAS BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. LIEUTENANT BRIGHT IS ALSO SOMEONE WHO HAS TRAINED ALL OF THESE OFFICERS AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND REALLY DID A LOT OF TRAINING ON DEFENSE TACTICS, USE OF FORCE, TALKED ABOUT THE TACTICS ON WHAT TO DO AT A TRAFFIC STOP, HOW TO HANDCUFF, EVEN THINGS LIKE WHAT PART OF THEIR HANDS THEY SHOULD USE IN CERTAIN INSTANCES, AND HE SAYS THAT HE WARNED HIS STUDENTS THAT THEY COULD FACE PRISON TIME IF THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THESE POLICIES. SO, AFTER WATCHING THE FOOTAGE TODAY, LIEUTENANT BRIGHT TESTIFIED THAT THESE OFFICERS WHO HAVE BEEN CHARGED DID NOT FOLLOW PROTOCOL. AND SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT PROTOCOL WAS NOT FOLLOWED WHEN THIS -- WHEN NICHOLS WAS BEING HANDCUFFED AND THAT THE OTHER OFFICERS SHOULD HAVE INTERVENED AND SAID, TO THE JURY, "NO RESISTANCE IS MET WITH NO FORCE. LITTLE RESISTANCE IS MET WITH LITTLE FORCE, AND DEADLY RESISTANCE IS MET WITH DEADLY FORCE." NOW, WE UNDERSTAND WHEN THAT FOOTAGE WAS SHOWN, UNDOUBTEDLY, SOMETHING THAT WAS SO HARD FOR THESE FAMILY MEMBERS OF NICHOLS TO WATCH, WE ACTUALLY HEARD FROM TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER JUST YESTERDAY. TAKE A LISTEN. >> OUR HOPE IS THAT THEY'RE FOUND GUILTY AND TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT MY SON WAS A GOOD PERSON, AND HE WASN'T THE CRIMINAL THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE HIM OUT TO BE. >> Reporter: SO, A LOT THAT WE HEARD IN COURT, CHRIS, THIS IS JUST ONE DAY OF WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO BE SEVERAL WEEKS OF THIS TRIAL, AND AS YOU CAN HEAR FROM THAT FAMILY, THEY ARE LOOKING FOR CLOSURE, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TIME BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO FIND OUT IF THEY GET THAT CLOSURE. CHRIS? >> MARISSA PARRA, THANK YOU FOR THAT. PAUL, WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE THE LIKELY IMPACT OF THIS TESTIMONY MIGHT BE? >> CHRIS, POLICE OFFICERS ARE VERY POWERFUL, EFFECTIVE WITNESSES IN TRIALS AGAINST OTHER POLICE OFFICERS. WE SAW THIS IN THE CASE OF THE -- INVOLVING THE FOUR OFFICERS ACCUSED IN THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD. JURORS ARE FREQUENTLY SYMPATHETIC TO THE DIFFICULTIES OF POLICEWORK, AND SOMETIMES, THEY MIGHT WANT TO GIVE OFFICERS A BREAK. THEY MIGHT THINK, EVEN IF THE COP MADE A MISTAKE, SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO DO HER JOB. BUT WHAT WE HEARD TODAY FROM THIS EXPERT WHO'S BEEN ON THE FORCE ALMOST 20 YEARS IS THAT WHEN THESE OFFICERS FIRST APPROACHED MR. NICHOLS, IN HIS CAR, ALLEGEDLY FOR A TRAFFIC STOP, THEY HAD THEIR GUNS DRAWN. THAT'S NOT PART OF PROTOCOL. AND THE OFFICERS HAVE SAID IN OTHER STATEMENTS THAT MR. NICHOLS WASN'T COOPERATING, AND HE REFUSED TO TURN OVER WHEN THEY ORDERED HIM TO TURN OVER. SO, THE LIEUTENANT TODAY TESTIFIED THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT HE WAS HANDCUFFED AND AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE OFFICERS WERE ORDERING MR. NICHOLS TO TURN OVER, THEY WERE KICKING HIM IN THE HEAD, AND HE HAD ALREADY BEEN MACED IN HIS FACE. >> YESTERDAY, THE JURY HEARD FROM THE NURSE WHO TREATED MR. NICHOLS. SHE CALCULATED HE WAS WITHOUT A PULSE FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES, AND AGAIN, THE PROSECUTORS SAY, AND I'M GOING TO QUOTE THEM HERE, "THEY STOOD BY HIS DYING BODY AND LAUGHED." AND LAUGHED. THE AUTOPSY SHOWED HE DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA. WHAT DO PROSECUTORS DO WITH THIS TESTIMONY? >> THERE'S ALL THIS VIDEO EVIDENCE FROM THE OFFICERS WHO WERE ON THE SCENE. CHRIS, WHEN YOU SEE THOSE VIDEOS, IT LOOKS LIKE A CROWD SCENE, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE TRAGIC THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T STEP UP TO HELP MR. NICHOLS. THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE HIS LIFE. OFFICERS WILL BE SHOWN LIVE, IN PERSON TO THE JURY, AND AGAIN, THAT'S EXTREMELY CREDIBLE EVIDENCE. NOW, WE HAVE SEEN CASES IN WHICH JURORS HAVE THIS VIDEO EVIDENCE OF ALLEGED POLICE BRUTALITY, AND THEY DON'T CONVICT. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE SEEING SINCE THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD IS PROSECUTORS ARE GETTING SAVVY AT HOW TO WIN THESE CASES. MOST OF THE RECENT HIGH PROFILE CASES THERE HAVE BEEN CONVICTIONS, AGAIN, THIS BODY CAM FOOTAGE IS A KEY PART. JURORS CAN BELIEVE THEIR OWN EYES, AND, CHRIS, THERE'S NO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE WAY THAT MR. NICHOLS WAS BRUTALIZED. >> WE ONLY HAVE A MINUTE LEFT. ONE OF THE OTHER POLICE OFFICERS, JUSTIN SMITH IS TESTIFYING IN HIS OWN DEFENSE. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW RISKY IT IS FOR A DEFENDANT TO TESTIFY. WHY DO YOU THINK HE'D CONSIDER IT? >> I THINK HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE PROSECUTION HAS A VERY STRONG CASE, AND THIS MIGHT BE A HAIL MARY EFFORT. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ACCUSED OFFICERS WHO HAVE ALREADY PLED GUILTY, BUT, CHRIS, WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS THAT EVEN IN THOSE CASES, PROSECUTORS ARE ASKING FOR TIME. ONE OF THE COPS WHO PLED GUILTY, THEY'RE ASKING FOR 40 YEARS, AND SO I THINK THIS OTHER OFFICER MAY BE TAKING THE STAND. IT'S