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- BBC News World
image source, Facebook/DeAndre Nichols
Nichols died three days after he collided with police at a traffic stop.
Memphis authorities released several videos on Friday showing the violent and fatal arrest with blows and kicks of young African-American Tyre Nichols on January 7.
“Disgusting” and “appalling” are just some of the words used by a few people — family members, the legal team and some officials — who actually saw the images of Nichols’ fatal confrontation with police in that Tennessee city.
Nichols, 29, died with his son in hospital three days after he was suspended for alleged reckless driving and battery by five officers who have been fired and charged with second-degree murder.
In one of the officer’s body cam videos, Nichols is heard on the ground calling out to his mother.
Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for the Nichols family, denounced the man’s treatment as a “human piñata”.
Arrest “This young man has been slapping straight and rude non-stop for three minutes.”He said.
“Like many others, I am outraged and deeply hurt to see the horrific video of the beating that left Nichols dead,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
image source, Memphis Police
In total, there is about 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 protect the anonymity of those who do not work for the police or the city.
An audio file from the police radio, which is being shared by several US outlets, gives some indication of the confrontation.
Why did the police stop him?
This is what we know about the events of the night of January 7:
- Nichols, a black man, was stopped by five officers, also black, on his way home from taking sunset photos at a local park, the family’s attorney said.
- He was ordered to stop due to his alleged reckless driving, at which point the first confrontation ensued, from which he fled on foot after an officer attempted to shock him with a taser.
- A second confrontation ensued after the officers caught him and moved to arrest him.
- For a few minutes, several officers surrounded and beat him, while Nichols, who was near his house, shouted for his mother.
- Nichols complained of shortness of breath and was taken to hospital, where he was admitted in a critical condition.
- Authorities said Nichols “succumbed to his injuries” on January 10, but did not provide further details. No official cause of death has been disclosed.
image source, Reuters
Some buildings in Memphis were protected from potential riots.
At a news conference, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch said he was “disgusted” by what he saw.
The city’s chief of police, Serene Davis, the first black woman to hold the position in Memphis, recalled hearing Nichols “call her mother” in the video.
“Contempt for humanity…that’s what strikes a chord in your heart,” he told CNN.
The five former police officers face the same charges: the kill Second degree, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression..
They were laid off from their jobs with the Memphis Police Department last week.
image source, Memphis Police
From left to right, the five officers charged with murder are: Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmett Martin III, Justin Smith, and Tadarius Bean.
Lawyers for two of the former agents said their clients plan to fight the charges.
“Nobody that night intended for Nichols’ photos 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 had done.”
Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News from Memphis
President Biden called Tire Nichols’ mother before I spoke to her.
RowVaughn Wells told me that Biden offered his condolences, saying he would “do everything he can to turn things around.”
I met her outside Mount Olive Church. She looked tired after a long press conference, but her husband and lawyer warmed her up: She spoke forcefully.
He has previously urged parents not to let their children watch the video, which shows five policemen brutally beating their son. She was unable to bring herself to see him.
“When I entered the hospital, I saw my son, I already knew what they had done,” he said.
“I don’t need to watch a video to show me what they did. I saw the end results. My son is dead. I don’t need to watch a video to know he’s not here anymore.”
But the more information she got about what happened, the more convinced she was that the police had initially lied to her: They said she had 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.
She said the pictures of her son in the hospital “do not look like a person being electrocuted and just pepper sprayed”.
Wells said 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 gender of the officer.
image source, Getty Images
* With information from Sam Hancock.
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