Tyre Nichols

Several police officers involved in Nichols' arrest were part of Memphis' specialized unit assigned with addressing violent crime, although officers said ...

[released the footage](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-video-footage-released-of-violent-arrest-in-memphis/?sh=5ab762832d8e) of Nichols’ violent arrest Friday night, revealing what prosecutors argue was a deadly police beating, and what Davis [described](https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1618945605560315905?s=20&t=L3bzOjGh_7s6P3cqHkY7Hg) as “heinous,” a defiance of “humanity,” and “about the same, if not worse” than the violent 1991 police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles that prompted riots. Before the footage was made public, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, [Tyre Nichols’ Killing: What We Know About The Investigation Into Memphis Police Officers](https://www.forbes.com/video/6319313900112/tyre-nichols-killing-what-we-know-about-the-investigation-into-memphis-police-officers/?sh=24d9d54ad06b) (Forbes) [Tyre Nichols’ Killing: 5 Memphis Police Officers Charged With Murder](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/01/26/tyre-nichols-killing-5-memphis-police-officers-charged-with-murder/?sh=48b9c0ea22b5) (Forbes) [Tyre Nichols Video: Footage Released Of Violent Arrest In Memphis](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-video-footage-released-of-violent-arrest-in-memphis/?sh=68d9b41f2d8e) (Forbes) and Justin Smith—were “ [directly responsible](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpD2FDjBBr8)” for Nichols’ death. The five officers involved, who are also Black, were [charged](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/01/26/tyre-nichols-killing-5-memphis-police-officers-charged-with-murder/?sh=6a0d26a222b5) with second-degree murder on Thursday, after being fired by the Memphis Police Department last week, following multiple investigations into the arrest. What happened before the body cameras started? Why were five police officers involved in a routine traffic stop? [urged](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tyre-nichols-mother-asks-protesters-to-be-peaceful-when-bodycam-footage-is-released/) people to “protest in peace” upon the release of the video, saying it would be “horrific.” President Joe Biden made a similar [warning](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/26/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-tyre-nichols-case/) in a statement on Thursday, saying, “outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.” FBI Director Christopher Wray had also [alerted FBI field officers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/fbi-chief-appalled-at-violent-video-of-tyre-nichols-arrest-ahead-of-public-release/?sh=39a759486fb4) to prepare for the possibility of protests “getting out of hand,” after he saw the video, saying he was “appalled” by what he saw. Why was a special unit involved? Why did it turn violent? Nichols died of excessive blood loss at a Memphis hospital on January 10, three days after he was pulled over in what police said was a routine traffic stop. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/28/us/tyre-nichols-beating-video-takeaways/index.html) law enforcement analyst John Miller described the situation as a failure of police officers to use “arrest and control tactics” and resorting to “brutality”—with Nichols heard telling officers he was “just trying to get home” as he ran from police, before they catch up with him, throwing kicks and punches, and using pepper spray.

The so-called Scorpion special unit will be disbanded after its officers were seen beating Mr Nichols.

The Scorpion programme was touted by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in a speech a year ago. If the system is broken, she added, the only way to fix it is to start again. "Memphis is taking a stand," said Casio Montez, one of the protest organisers. But she acknowledged that the officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols "decided to go off the rails". He died in hospital three days later, on 10 January. "We are doing an individual evaluation of all units," she said.

The move reverses an earlier decision by police director Cerelyn "CJ" Davis, who had said she would not shut down a unit if a few officers commit "some ...

that it takes such tragedy for people to actually look at the problems we have in our community." The only thing that has me calm is being able to fellowship with people out here who are trying to make a change." "Your Blackness will not stop us from fighting you. Protesters also blocked traffic in New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. Ms Davis acknowledged that the police department had a supervisor shortage and said the lack of a supervisor in the arrest was a "major problem". - The police chief said officers in the unit "agree unreservedly" with the move

One of the five former Memphis police officers charged with murder in the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols was the president of a fraternity with several ...

His neck was bursting because of the swelling.” His head was swollen like a watermelon. In addition to the fired cops, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. One of the five former Memphis police officers charged with murder in the deadly beating of Nichols was the president of a fraternity with several recent scandals at its chapters. The video, which shows police in the city of Memphis repeatedly kicking and punching 29-year-old as he moans and calls out for his mother, was played widely on national television and online, triggering anger, disgust and calls for police reform. In 2018, a 45-year-old man looking to join an Omega Psi Phi chapter in Brooklyn had his buttocks and testicles paddled between 150 to 200 times as part of a twisted “welcoming ritual,” resulting in two of the fraternity’s members being charged with assault and hazing. The Memphis Fire Department said two unidentified personnel who were involved in Nichols’ “initial patient care” at the scene were “relieved of duty.” A lawyer for one of the five former Memphis cops charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, has indicated his client may not have been able “to see” — because the officers accidentally pepper-sprayed themselves during the vicious beat down. “Some of the questions that remain will require a focus on Desmond Mills Jr’s individual actions; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see when he arrived late to the scene; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see after he was pepper-sprayed; and on whether Desmond’s actions crossed the lines that were crossed by other officers during this incident,” lawyer Blake Ballin said in a statement Saturday. A lawyer for one of the cops charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, has indicated his client may not have been able “to see” during the vicious beat down. “Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols,” he said in a statement. “We are confident that the questions of whether Desmond crossed the lines that others crossed and whether he committed the crimes charged will be answered with a resounding no,” Ballin concluded.

The death of Nichols, 29, after being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, during a traffic stop has prompted outrage.

[officers are charged](https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-police-officers-charged-48d48f2137a2f34482274edb1bd1bab2) with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush said that Congress must take action, arguing “charging the officers who brutalized Tyre is not enough”. Memphis police claimed in a statement that officers tried to stop a man for reckless driving on 7 January and he was brought to hospital in critical condition following two confrontations. Five Black officers involved in the incident were fired and [charged](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/26/tyre-nichols-five-ex-police-officers-custody) Thursday with murder. [Tyre Nichols](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/26/memphis-police-tyre-nichols-death-what-we-know), a Black man, died several days after Memphis, Tennessee police repeatedly beat him following a 7 January traffic stop. 26 January They describe the footage as showing a “savage” three-minute interaction that recalled the notorious 1991 police beating of Black Los Angeles driver Rodney King. They tell media that Nichols was restrained, pepper-sprayed, and “was a human piñata for those police officers”. Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told reporters that his stepson suffered kidney failure and cardiac arrest because of the beatdown. All of these officers are Black. After the officers drag Nichols out of his car, and position him against the ground, he gets up and runs away. 7 January

Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by police. Tyre Nichols was pulled over for a traffic stop, and beaten to death. (Memphis Police Department). Memphis City ...

President Joe Biden said he was "outraged and deeply pained" after seeing the video. "The only difference between my father's situation and now is hashtags and a clearer camera," Rodney King's daughter Lora King told CNN. I am in disbelief." It is very troubling," he said. Nichols' family, the City of Memphis, and the rest of the country deserve nothing less. [Protests began forming Friday night](https://www.9news.com.au/protests), with people in several cities taking to the streets and raising signs bearing Nichols' name. "Being assaulted, battered, punched, kicked, tased, pepper sprayed. "Mr. They were identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr. There were no arrests stemming from that demonstration, police said. "That faith is what we will lean on in the coming days, weeks, and months to ensure the totality of circumstances is revealed," according to a statement. Nichols died on January 10.

As public officials and others condemned the actions they viewed, initial reactions from protesters around the country were largely peaceful.

“I can’t believe no one thought ‘we don’t have to keep beating this man.,’” Nino Brown, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said at a vigil for Mr. Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the video filled him with “anger, sorrow and revulsion,” Kathy Lester, the city’s police chief, called the actions of the Memphis officers “inhumane and inexcusable,” and the Sacramento County sheriff, Jim Cooper, said the “horrendous acts displayed by these few officers do not reflect the values of this office or law enforcement as a whole.” In Memphis, for days before the video release, city officials, civic leaders and Mr. “That faith is what we will lean on in the coming days, weeks and months to ensure the totality of circumstances is revealed.” On Saturday, officials with the Memphis Police announced that the department was deactivating the unit. As police departments around the country responded, law enforcement officials said actions shown in the video defied what officers are trained to do. “The video is all the horrific things that were described to us,” said Josh Spickler, the executive director of Just City, a civil rights organization in Memphis, referring to days of warnings from law enforcement officials and Mr. Mills, said in a statement that the videos have “produced as many questions as they have answers.” The officers, according to the video, escalated their use of physical force and gave conflicting orders, repeatedly demanding that Mr. Separately, the Memphis Fire Department said that two of its employees were also being investigated for their actions at the scene. and Justin Smith — had been fired from the Memphis Police Department after an internal investigation found they had used excessive force and failed to intervene or render aid, as the agency’s policy required them to do. Officials said minor acts of vandalism were committed during a protest outside the Los Angeles Police Department’s headquarters, which was blocked by police in riot gear.