UNITED STATES. Memphis: In a video released by the city on Friday, five Memphis police officers were seen beating, kicking and punching a black motorist named Tyre Nichols into submission. The five police officer are now charged with his murder.
The videos from police body cameras and a camera on a utility pole were posted online the day after the five were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, assault, official misconduct, and oppression in the death of Nichols, 29, on January 10.
When you look at all four tapes together, they show a very violent escalation of violence against a driver. At first, the police said they stopped the driver for careless driving, but the police chief later said this claim had not been proven.
In the first video, Nichols is seen being dragged from the driver’s seat of his car as he screams, “Damn, I didn’t do anything; I’m just trying to get home.” They then forced him to lie on his stomach on the ground before pepper spraying him in the face.
Then, Nichols escapes, struggles to his feet, and races away down a road while being pursued by officers on foot; at least one of them fires a stun gun at him.
Another video depicts a later struggle that occurs after the police re-catch Nichols. Two policemen are seen holding Nichols down as a third kicks him, a fourth strike him with what looks to be a baton, and a fifth officer punches him.
As he struggles with the police, Nichols repeatedly yells, “Mom! Mom!”. His mother had stated that her son was only 80 yards (metres) from his house when he was assaulted. After the first emergency responders arrive at the scene, a stretcher is spotted arriving 19 minutes later.
As a result of their January 7 altercation with Nichols following the traffic check, the officers—all of whom were black—had already been fired from the police force on January 20. While at the hospital, Nichols succumbed to his wounds and passed away three days later.
Nichols, a father of a 4-year-old, is a likeable, competent skateboarder who just started taking a photography class, according to friends and relatives. Nichols grew up in Sacramento, California. Before the coronavirus outbreak, he moved with his mother and stepfather to Memphis and got a FedEx job.
As the video first surfaced on Friday evening and was being shown by media sources, a crowd of demonstrators gathered in Memphis and chanted, “No justice, no peace.” Several dozen protestors marched along Interstate 55, blocking traffic on a bridge that spans the Mississippi River into Arkansas.
After viewing the Memphis video, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his outrage and pain, saying, “Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’s death. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day.”
In Memphis, a city of 628,000 people, over 65% of the population is black. Nichols’ family and Biden urged calm protests as on Saturday morning, events were postponed, and schools closed early.
As per records, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, and Demetrius Haley are fired along with one other officer following Nichols’ death.
Nichols’ death was the most recent high-profile case in the past few years in which police officers were charged with using too much force in the deaths of black people and other minorities.
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