A retired homicide detective with the Memphis Police Department was found dead in front of his home Sunday, authorities said.
Officers from the Memphis Police Department responded to a man down call at the 4200 block of Falcon Drive at 8 a.m. Sunday, where the former officer, Sgt. Mark LeSure, was found dead at the scene, according to the department.
Cause of Death Not Yet Released
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.
LeSure's Criticism of Memphis Police Department Over Tyre Nichols Death
The 24-year veteran officer was very vocal with his criticism of the Mephis police department over the death of 29-year-old 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.
LeSure's body was discovered days after the city filed a motion to dismiss the $550 million civil lawsuit in Nichols' death, which was filed in April by his family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The Memphis Police Department said LeSure's death is still under investigation.
