Black man, Tyre Nichols died on January 10, 2023, three days after a traffic stop by officers from the Memphis Police Department. He reportedly suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 29-year-old Nichols was initially stopped on January 7 for reckless driving.
On January 18, 2023, the Department of Justice said a civil rights investigation has been opened into the death of Nichols.
Five officers from the Memphis Police Department, who are also Black, were fired last week after an investigation found them to be “directly responsible for the physical abuse of Nichols”.
Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith are all in custody, jail records show.
The family of Nichols and attorneys have viewed the traffic stop’s video recordings, which have been described as a vicious, prolonged beating that lasted for minutes after officers chased down a fleeing Nichols.
“He was a human piñata. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes,” lawyer Antonio Romanucci revealed.
The footage is expected to be released on Friday evening local time.
The city’s police chief earlier urged people to stay calm once the clip is made public at around 18:00 (22:00 GMT Friday).
On Wednesday, the family’s lawyers said a post-mortem examination proved he had been severely beaten.
“My son was a beautiful soul,” said Nichols’ mother, Rowvaughn Wells.
Nichols was stopped by police on his way to a local park, his mother said. City officials asserted police officers pulled him over for reckless driving and two “confrontations” occurred.
According to authorities, the first happened as officers approached the vehicle and he attempted to flee on foot. They said the second confrontation occurred when officers tried to arrest him.
Tyre Nichols then complained of shortness of breath and was taken to hospital, police said, where he was enumerated in critical condition. Officials said Nichols had “died of his injuries” on January 10, but provided no further detail. An official cause of death has not yet been revealed.