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image source, FACEBOOK/DEANDRE NICHOLS
Nichols died three days following running into police at a traffic stop.
The Memphis authorities released several videos on Friday showing the violent and fatal arrest with blows and kicks of the young African-American Tire Nichols on January 7.
“Disgusting” and “appalling” are just some of the words used by the few people – family members, the legal team and some officials – who had already seen images of Nichols’ fatal encounter with police in that Tennessee city.
Nichols, 29, with a son, died in hospital three days following being pulled over for alleged reckless driving and beaten by five officers who have been fired and charged with second-degree murder.
In one of the officer’s body camera videos, Nichols is heard, on the ground, calling for his mother.
Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer for the Nichols family, denounced that the man was treated as a “human piñata”.
The arrest “it was an unadulterated, brazen, non-stop beating from this young man for three minutes”said.
US President Joe Biden said in a statement: “Like so many others, I am outraged and deeply hurt to see the horrific video of the beating that led to the death of Tire Nichols.”
image source, memphis police
In total there are regarding an hour of footage, including a few minutes in which Nichols interacts with the five police officers accused of his death. The video was edited to preserve the anonymity of those not employed by the police or the city.
An audio file from police radio, which has been shared by various US outlets, gives some indication of the confrontation.
image source, Getty Images
Several people gathered in New York to protest the death of Tire Nichols.
The dissemination of the video aroused the indignation of many. In rejection of the actions of the police, protests were registered in Memphis. A small but determined group of regarding 80 protesters rallied in Memphis’ Martyr Park before heading toward I-55. Protesters stopped traffic with banners reading “Justice for Tyre”.
Washington also reported protesters around the White House to demand justice. In New York, confrontations with the police, blockades and some arrests were reported.
Why was he stopped by the police?
This is what we know regarding the events of the night of January 7:
- Nichols, a black man, was stopped by five officers, who are also black, on his way home from taking photos of a sunset at a local park, an attorney for the family said.
- He was ordered to stop for alleged reckless driving, at which point the first confrontation ensued, from which he fled on foot following an officer tried to shock him with a taser.
- A second confrontation ensued following officers caught up with him and moved to arrest him.
- For a few minutes, several officers surrounded him and beat him down, while Nichols, who was near his home, yelled for his mother.
- Nichols complained of shortness of breath and was taken to hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition.
- Authorities said Nichols “succumbed to his injuries” on January 10, but did not provide further details. An official cause of death has not yet been revealed.
image source, Archyde.com
Some premises in the city of Memphis were protected from the possible outbreak of riots.
At a news conference, David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said he was “disgusted” by what he had seen.
The city’s police chief, Cerelyn Davis, the first black woman to hold the position in Memphis, recalled hearing Nichols “call her mother” in the video.
“The contempt for humanity … that’s what really strikes a chord with your heart,” he told CNN.
The five former police officers are in custody and face the same charges: homicide in the second degree, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Last week they were laid off from their jobs with the Memphis Police Department.
This Friday it was learned that two agents from the Shelby County sheriff’s office were also suspended following the publication of the images.
“I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these officers to determine what occurred and whether any policy was violated,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement. “Both have been relieved of their duties pending the outcome of the administrative investigation.”
image source, memphis police
From left to right, the 5 officers charged with murder are: Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, and Tadarrius Bean.
For their part, attorneys for two of the former Memphis Police Department officers said their clients plan to fight the charges.
“No one out there that night intended for Tire Nichols to die,” a lawyer for one of the men said before the video was released to the public.
“When I saw my son, I already knew what they did”
Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News from memphis
President Biden had called Tire Nichols’ mother just before I spoke to her.
RowVaughn Wells told me that Biden offered his condolences, saying he would “do everything in his power to turn things around.”
I met her outside of Mt Olive Church. She looked tired following a long press conference, but her husband and her lawyer held her close: she spoke forcefully.
He had previously urged parents not to allow their children to view the video showing five policemen brutally beating their son. She hasn’t been able to bring herself to see him.
“When I entered the hospital, I saw my son, I already knew what they did,” he said.
“I don’t need to see a video to show me what they did. I saw the final results. My son is dead. I don’t need to see a video to know he’s not here anymore.”
But the more information she has regarding what happened, the more convinced she is that the police initially lied to her: They said she resisted arrest for drunk driving and they had to put a taser and pepper spray on her.
“But when I got to the hospital, I saw something completely different,” he said.
The photos of her son in the hospital, she said, “do not look like a person being electrocuted and just pepper sprayed.”
Wells has said that the five black police officers defrauded the black community and dishonored their families.
But he stressed that when it comes to the use of excessive force, the issue is the race of the victim, not the race of the officer.
image source, Getty Images
* With information from Sam Hancock.
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