In Memphis, Tennessee videos showing the violent arrest of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a Memphis man who died three days after he was beaten by police in a traffic stop Jan. 7, have been released by Memphis officials. Videos, which consists of both body cam footage and street surveillance footage, were made public by the city of Memphis friday evening.
Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said “she wasn’t prepared for what she saw”.
“In my 36 years in law enforcement, I don’t think I have witnessed the disregard for a human being displayed in this video,” Davis said.
Five former Police Officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired for misconduct, indicted by a grand jury Thursday and taken into custody.Each is charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression. By Friday morning, they had posted bond.
Police stopped Nichols near his home in the Hickory Hill neighborhood around 8:22 p.m. Jan. 7. There was an altercation between Nichols and several officers and pepper spray was deployed, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said.
Nichols fled on foot before a second confrontation with police. He experienced “serious injuries” at this location, Mulroy said, and later was taken away by ambulance after an “elapsed period of time.”
Nichols was a father to a 4-year-old and worked at FedEx with his stepfather. Family has said he enjoyed skateboarding, photography, Starbucks and watching the sunset from a park in Memphis.He died in a Memphis hospital three days after his encounter with police. Family said in some of his last words, he called out for his mother, whose name was tattooed on his arm.
Sad to see these things happening. Crazy America.
