On Saturday 7 January, Tire Nichols was stopped by the police when he was driving a car in Memphis in the US state of Tennessee. The 29-year-old black, family man was stopped for reckless driving, according to a police statement. When he was stopped, an argument allegedly occurred which led to the police using pepper spray. Nichols then attempted to run from the scene, according to District Attorney Steve Mulroy. The argument continued somewhere nearby, where Nichols was seriously injured, writes Reuters. Three days later, Nichols died as a result of his injuries. Yelled at mum The incident was filmed by the police officers’ video camera. The recordings were made public on the night of Saturday Norwegian time. The footage shows, among other things, how Tire is held down on the ground by two police officers while another police officer kicks him. Screenshot from video footage released by Memphis authorities showing the police handling of Tire Nichols. Photo: MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT / Reuters The director of investigations in the state of Tennessee, David Rausch, was sickened when he saw the footage. – What happened does not reflect proper police work. This was wrong, says Rausch. The last words heard on the video recording are Nichols calling out to his mother three times, as he is being beaten – only about a hundred yards from his mother’s house. The Chief of Police in Memphis, Cerelyn Davis, compares the incident to when Rodney King was beaten up by the police in 1991. It led to large riots that lasted for several days, in which more than 50 people lost their lives and 2,300 were injured. Police Chief Davis encourages protests, as long as they are peaceful. – I expect you to feel rage. Our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what appears in the video. I expect our citizens will exercise their constitutional right to protest, to demand action and results, Davis said at a news conference Thursday. Tire Nichols died on January 10 after being subjected to violence by police officers in Memphis, USA. Photo: FACEBOOK/DEANDRE NICHOLS / Reuters An independent autopsy will show that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding as a result of severe beating”, writes The Guardian. He weighed around 65 kilos, while all the police officers must have weighed more than 90 kilos. – He was a human piñata for the police officers. It was not only violent, but brutal, says the family’s lawyer, Antonio Romanucci. Rodney Wells was Tyre Nichols’ stepfather. Here he demonstrates with a picture of Nichols from the hospital bed after meeting with the police. Photo: Jordan James / AP Nichols’ family members and attorneys have seen the video footage of the attack, which District Attorney Mulroy said lasted three minutes. Nichols’ stepfather describes that the police officers kicked his stepson in the same way and with the same force as one would kick a football. Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, told CNN that she understood that her son would not survive already when she arrived at the hospital and saw his condition. – His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck was cracked from the swelling. They broke his neck, Wells said. Tyre Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, is naturally devastated after the incident. Photo: Gerald Herbert / AP Fired The police officers, who are also black, were fired from their positions in the Memphis Police Department last week. The incident will be investigated by the authorities. An internal investigation concluded that they had broken several guidelines, including the use of excessive violence. The five police officers, who are between the ages of 24 and 32, are charged with, among other things, murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, misconduct and official oppression. Fox News writes that four of the five have been released after paying bail. All five will be arraigned on February 17. From the riots that erupted in Los Angeles after Rodney King was beaten up. Photo: MIKE NELSON / AFP Biden: – Painful reminder Police throughout the United States have recently been preparing for riots that may come in connection with the fact that the video of the arrest has now been released. US President Joe Biden urges people not to let violence get the better of any demonstrations, writes the White House in a press release. – As we grieve, and the Department of Justice conducts its investigation, I join Nichols’ family in calling for peaceful protests. Rage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable, says Biden. President Joe Biden spoke with the family of Tire Nichols on Friday afternoon. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP The president met journalists on Friday evening, where he said that he had expressed his condolences in conversations with Tyre’s parents. – I expressed my condolences, and told them that I was going to present this case to Congress and urge them to adopt a change in the law in police work. We should get this under control, says Biden. Each year, over 1,000 people are killed by police in the United States, according to Mappingpoliceviolence. Blacks have nearly three times the risk of dying in police custody as whites. – Nichols’ death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system keeps its promise of justice, is impartial, provides equal treatment and dignity for all, says the US president. Tire Nichols will be buried on Wednesday, February 1, according to a press release from the church, writes CNN.
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Five police officers charged with murder – video shows the brutal violence – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
