Nichols was a 29-year-old Black man killed three days after being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee. He was pulled over for a traffic stop on Jan. 7, but it was the way he was beaten that led to his death.
After watching the harrowing video, many Black citizens around the US began to protest. Some gathered in several cities to demand answers from police departments and to call for reform of the system that causes this kind of violence against Black people in America.
Investigation Underway
The FBI’s office in Memphis and the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department are conducting a civil rights investigation, interviewing community members, leaders, and law enforcement officers. Information about the probe will not be released until it is completed, but the agency says it will focus on “patterns of unlawful policing” within the city’s police department.
Davis said the five former officers charged in the beating have all been disciplined. A sixth officer was suspended, and two sheriff’s deputies were removed from duty as part of an internal investigation into their actions that day.
In a statement, Davis called the beating “heinous and reckless” and urged citizens to “respectfully” protest. He also urged the public to watch the footage of the attack and to call for change.
A Recap of Tyre’s Murder
Nichols was dragged from his car by officers and chased on foot before he was stomped, pepper sprayed, and punched in the head. He was eventually taken to the hospital, where he died.
Body-worn camera videos and surveillance footage show that Nichols was dragged from his vehicle, forced to the ground, and beaten by officers. During the struggle, Nichols’ hands were restrained behind his body, and he was repeatedly hit in the face without provocation. He cried out for his mother but couldn’t say her name.
He was later handcuffed and leaned against a police car, where officers were heard joking about their use of force. One of the officers even took photos and shared them with another policeman, his wife, and a civilian employee.
The family of Tyre Nichols has said they are dismayed at the heinous way police handled their son’s arrest. His attorney, John Crump, described the gruesome footage as “appalling,” “deplorable,” and “heinous.”
Update
In other news from Memphis, the group of five former police officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols was disbanded from a special unit specializing in violent crime. The Memphis Police Department announced the disbandment of the SCORPION unit as more protests in US cities began to pick up following the release of footage that showed police brutally pummelling Tyre Nichols during his arrest.
