An legal professional for the household of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died three days after a “confrontation” with police throughout a site visitors cease, mentioned video of the cease was “violent” and “heinous,” and likened it to the notorious footage of the Rodney King beating.
“What we can tell you about the video is that it is appalling, it is deplorable, it is heinous… violent,” civil rights legal professional Ben Crump, who seen the footage together with Nichols’ household and different legal professionals, mentioned at a Monday press convention. “It is very troublesome on every level because you have to ask yourself yet again, this is evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops. You should not be killed because of a simple traffic stop!”
Nichols, a 29-year-old father, FedEx employee and avid skateboarder, was arrested after officers stopped him for reckless driving, police mentioned. In a news launch the day after his arrest, the division mentioned that as officers approached Nichols’ automobile, “a confrontation occurred’ and he ran. It said officers caught up to him and that “one other confrontation occurred” while they were taking him into custody. Police said he complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.
Nichols died Jan. 10 on the hospital. His household mentioned the beating brought on him to have a coronary heart assault and kidney failure. Authorities have solely mentioned that Nichols skilled a medical emergency. Officials mentioned a reason for demise hasn’t been decided.
Adrian Sainz / AP
On Friday, the Memphis Police Department fired officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith after an inner investigation decided they “violated multiple department policies, including excessive force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid,” Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis mentioned in an announcement.
Nichols’ household, protesters and activists have referred to as for the discharge of the arrest video and for the officers to be charged with homicide.
Crump mentioned Monday that the household’s attorneys couldn’t get into too many particulars in regards to the video as a result of the investigation is ongoing and the district legal professional’s workplace and investigators have requested for an extra one to 2 weeks earlier than releasing the video to the general public.
Crump mentioned that footage of the site visitors cease, which he likened to the Rodney King arrest video, was so heartbreaking that Nichols’ mom couldn’t get by way of the primary minute of it. According to Crump, the primary query Nichols asksed was “what did I do?”
According to Crump, Nichols’ final phrases within the video had been him calling for his mom when he was solely 80-100 yards from his home.
“Where’s the humanity?” Crump requested as Nichols’ mom sobbed beside him.
Crump described Nichols as a “good young man” who had avid pursuits in skateboarding, images and computer systems, however most significantly being a father.
“Everything he was trying to do was to better himself as a father for his 4-year-old son,” Crump mentioned.
When requested about the truth that the previous officers concerned within the cease are Black, Crump mentioned, “What I have come to learn from doing civil rights work against excessive force policing is that it is not the race of the police officer that is the determinable factor of the amount of excessive force that will be exerted, it is the race of the citizen, and so we have to have accountability no matter who tramples on the constitutional rights of our citizens.”
“It is so regrettable that they didn’t think of Tyre as their brother,” Crump added.
Crump mentioned Nichols was tased, pepper sprayed and restrained in the course of the encounter. Another of the household’s attorneys, Antonio Romanucci, mentioned police beat Nichols for 3 minutes.
“He was a human piñata for those police officers,” Romanucci mentioned.
Nichols’ family members spoke fondly of him, repeatedly calling him a great, hardworking one who beloved his household and centered on his varied passions.
His stepfather, Rodney Wells, requested group members to conduct peaceable protests.
“What I saw on video today was horrific, no father, mother should have to witness what I saw today,” Wells mentioned.
“He was a great, great kid, he didn’t deserve what he got, now what he deserves is justice,” Wells added.
Nichols’ mom, RowVaughn Wells, fought tears as she spoke of her youngest baby.
“my son- nobody is perfect, but he was damn near perfect,” she mentioned.
“No mother, I don’t care what color, should go through this,” she mentioned. “I have always raised my children to love everyone until they give you a reason not to. We don’t discriminate against no race. I hate to think that us as Black people, we out here killing each other, and for what? We have police killing us, I don’t know why.”
“I just don’t understand why we have to have all this violence, what happened to this world?” she requested. “What happened to humanity and kindness? What happened to it all?”