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The Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Board voted unanimously toĀ suspend the licenses of two emergency medical techniciansĀ who arrived to treatĀ Tyre NicholsĀ after he was brutally beaten by police officers.
Instead of attending to Nichols' injuries immediately,Ā JaMichael SandridgeĀ andĀ Robert Long,Ā waited 19 minutesĀ before they began to provide medical care.Ā Ā
"Their patient was in obvious distress,"Ā board member Dr.Ā Sullivan SmithĀ said. "It's obvious to even a layperson that he was in terrible distress and needed help, and they failed to provide that help. They were his best shot. And they failed to help."
Long and Sandridge were previously fired by the Memphis Fire Department for failing to provide aid to Nichols as he writhed in pain on the ground. Fire engine driver Lt.Ā Michelle WhitakerĀ was also fired.
"Our investigation has concluded that the two EMTs responded based on the initial nature of the call (person pepper sprayed) and information they were told on the scene and failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols," the fire department previously said in a statement. "After their initial interaction with Mr. Nichols, they requested an ambulance to respond."