UNITED STATES: Protests in Tennessee have sparked ahead of a video release of an arrest that resulted in a motorist’s death.
Tyre Nichols, 29, died allegedly following an arrest by police officials, as reports say. The bodycam video was to be released by the officials on Friday.
Lawyers backing Nichol’s family, who had privately viewed the footage of the arrest, said that the video would expose Nichols being tortured by the police, being pepper-sprayed, struck with a stun gun, restrained and beaten mercilessly.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith were arrested on Thursday. They all joined the Memphis Police Department and have worked there for the last six years.
The officers who had to terminate their job are now facing second-degree murder charges, aggravating assault, aggravating kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression days after the traffic stop on January 7.
David Rausch, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director, has said that the incident is “appalling”, adding, “I’m sickened by what I saw.” Tennessee city is now on the edge even though more patrol forces were introduced in the area.
According to the officials, Nichols, a black man, was suspected of driving recklessly, and the five police officers stopped Nichols, who was returning home.
Two confrontations followed when Nichols tried to run away from the scene, and the second when he was arrested. Nichols had pointed out that he had breathing issues and was taken to the hospital thereafter and was listed as “critical”.
This event sparked comparisons to the video of Rodney King, a black motorist, being beaten by Los Angeles police officers almost 30 years ago.
President Joe Biden pleaded calmly as authorities would release the footage on Friday evening, local time. He said, “I join Tyre’s family in calling for peaceful protest, and added that “outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.”
US Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton reported, “We fought to put blacks on the police force.“ “For them to act in such a brutal way is more egregious than I can tell you,” he said.
He also added, “I do not believe these five black police officers would have done this had he been a young white man.”
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