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. Tire Nichols died on January 10 after being subjected to violence by police officers in Memphis, USA. Photo: FACEBOOK/DEANDRE NICHOLS / Reuters Shouted at mom The incident was filmed by the police officers’ video camera. The recordings were made public on the night of Saturday Norwegian time. It 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 last words heard on the video recording are Nichols calling out to his mother three times, while he is being beaten – only about a hundred meters from his mother’s house. 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 were previously shown 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. CHARGED: Five American police officers have been charged with murder. From left: Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean. Photo: MPD / Reuters Anticipating riots 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. Tennessee State Department of Corrections Director David Rausch was sickened when he saw the footage. – What happened does not reflect proper police work. This was wrong, says Rausch. The protests are underway 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. Protests were already underway in Memphis, Washington, Atlanta, Georgia and New York when the video footage was published. In Memphis, protesters have blocked a bridge near downtown. – No justice, no peace, shout the around 200 protesters, writes CNN. Police try to remove a protester from a police car in New York, USA, January 27, 2023 Photo: EDUARDO MUNOZ / Reuters Biden furious US President Joe Biden expressed his outrage after seeing the footage. – Like so many others, I was furious. It is painful to see the violence in the footage that led to the death, Biden says in a statement. At the same time, he asks that people behave peacefully in any demonstrations. – 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. Tyre Nichols’ mother has previously called for peaceful demonstrations. 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. 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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Police officers charged with murder – video shows the brutal violence – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
