Police Brutality
It's also prompted an internal investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The Justice Department announced its decision just before the five-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.
The officers were charged with improperly chasing Karon Hylton-Brown and then conspiring to cover up their actions and the severity of his resulting injuries.
Game wardens could be seen dragging the deer, named Baby, by a rope in a video obtained by a local news outlet.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
A Justice Department report previously said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants.
A third officer was convicted on the federal civil rights charges, and each of the three officers was found guilty on some charges in Nichols' death.
The trial could spur broader change in policing, an expert says.
The case has drawn condemnation from top U.S. law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was killed in early 2023.
Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith are the former Memphis police officers left facing charges of civil rights violations in the death of Tyre Nichols.