Tyre Nichols – latest: Autopsy released as Memphis police bodycam shows officers beat him ‘like Rodney King’
The family of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis man who died days after being arrested and beaten by police, has spoken out after viewing footage of the incident.
Nichols, 29, died on 10 January, three days after a traffic stop turned into a confrontation with officers that ended up with him in the hospital.
A private autopsy, described by the Nichols family on Tuesday, showed the 29-year-old suffered ‘extensive bleeding,’ before death.
Family members and their attorneys met with Memphis police and reviewed the footage on Monday before it was publicly released.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump called the video “appalling, heinous, violent and troublesome.”
“We’re seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops,” Mr Crump said. “You should not be killed from a simple traffic stop.”
“Regrettably, it reminded us of (the) Rodney King video,” added Mr Crump said.
Five officers, all of whom were Black, were fired from the department in the wake of the incident.
Key Points
Tyre Nichols suffered ‘extensive bleeding,’ autopsy shows
Why is it taking so long for Memphis police to release the Tyre Nichols body camera footage?
Family say Tyre Nichols was beaten ‘like a human piñata’ in Memphis police ‘murder’
Lawyer Ben Crump vows to fight for Tyre Nichols
Video: ‘This is about transparency'
01:00 , Josh Marcus
Community members gathered on Tuesday for a meeting of the Memphis city council, using the forum to demand transparency, including body camera footage, of the police stop that left Tyre Nichols in critical condition and likely killed him.
“This is about transparency and dammit we go have it,” one community activist said.
HAPPENING NOW: Community members have gathered before Memphis city council to voice their displeasure about what happened to Tyre Nichols.
“This is about transparency and dammit we go have it,” a community activist said.
*Warning language* @3onyourside pic.twitter.com/PeUyVYVKAj— Jordan James WREG (@JordanJamesTV) January 24, 2023
Who are the police officers who stopped Tyre Nichols?
00:00 , Josh Marcus
The city of Memphis has fired five police officers involved in the violent and eventually fatal traffic stop of Tyre Nichols.
Their names are as follows: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr and Justin Smith
Memphis officials condemned the officers, who were fired on Friday evening.
“The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work that our officers perform, with integrity, every day,” Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis told the New York Times.
‘Firing these officers is not enough,’ Al Sharpton says
Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:00 , Josh Marcus
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton says officials need to go further than their decision Friday to fire five Memphis police officers involved in the violent traffic stop that resulted in Tyre Nichols’s death.“Firing these officers for misconduct is not enough,” Mr Sharpton said in a statement on Tuesday. “Justice will only be served when all five are charged with killing Tyre Nichols for the simple act of driving while Black.”
Mr Sharpton added that it didn’t matter that the five officers who stopped Nichols were themselves Black.
“These officers should not be allowed to hide their deeds behind their Blackness,” the activist said.
Tyre Nichols suffered ‘extensive bleeding,’ autopsy shows
Tuesday 24 January 2023 22:00 , Josh Marcus
A preliminary independent autospy showed Tyre Nichols suffered “extensive bleeding” during a violent police stop this month, after which the 29-year-old eventually died.
“We can state that preliminary findings indicate Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7, 2023,” attorneys for his family wrote in a statement on Tuesday, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
The attorneys also described the injuries as a result of the “unadulterated...beating of [Nichols] for three minutes,” which they compared to the infamous 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police.
Family shares touching video of Tyre Nichols skateboarding
Tuesday 24 January 2023 21:00 , Josh Marcus
The Nichols family wants their son Tyre to be remembered as more than someone who died during a violent police stop.
On Monday, they shared a video of Nichols doing what he loved most, skateboarding, through their attorney.
This is who Tyre Nichols was — a talented and dedicated skateboarder with SO much life left to live… He didn’t deserve to be tragically taken from his family and community! We will continue to fight for accountability for you Tyre! #JusticeForTyreNichols pic.twitter.com/hYwMnRRZEA
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 23, 2023
The family described him as a doting son.
“My son, nobody is perfect, nobody, but he was damn near,” his mother RowVaugn Wells said at a recent press conference. “My son, he came here right before the pandemic. He got stuck here because we shut the world down, but he was OK with it, you know why? Because he was with his mother. My son loved me to death.”
Two firefighters taken off duty as part of Tyre Nichols probe
Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:00 , Josh Marcus
Two Memphis firefighters were “relieved of duty” pending an internal investigation into their role in the Tyre Nichols case, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
The news of their suspension follows the announcement on Friday that five Memphis police officers involved in the violent January arrest of Nichols were fired.
Video of deadly traffic stop to be released after five Memphis police officers fired
Memphis’s long record of police violence, by the numbers
Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:00 , Josh Marcus
The case of Tyre Nichols is reminding many Memphis residents of the city police department’s long history of violence against people of colour.
In Memphis, Black people are killed at a rate 1.5 times higher than their white counterparts, according to data from Mapping Police Violence.
Everything we know about the Tyre Nichols case
Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:04 , Gustaf Kilander
A29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.
Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts.
This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols.
‘Reminded us of Rodney King’: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols
Two Memphis firefighters placed on leave over Tyre Nichols traffic stop
Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:22 , Megan Sheets
Two Memphis firefighters are now under investigation over their involvement in the initial care of Tyre Nichols following his fateful 7 January traffic stop.
The firefighters have been “relieved of duty” pending the outcome of the internal probe, department spokesperson Qwanesha Ward announced Monday.
Ms Ward declined to elaborate on whether the firefighters were suspended or dismissed, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
It comes after five police officers were fired over their involvement in the traffic stop.
Body camera video of the confrontation is expected to be released this week.
A 29-year-old father died after a traffic stop. The family lawyer says the footage ‘reminded us of Rodney King’
Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:03 , Graeme Massie
Five Memphis officers have been fired after violating multiple department policies in the death of Tyre Nichols as criminal and civil rights investigations are launched.
Gustaf Kilander has the details.
‘Reminded us of Rodney King’: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols
Video of deadly Tyre Nichols traffic stop released after five Memphis police officers fired
Tuesday 24 January 2023 11:33 , Graeme Massie
Officials say five Memphis Police Department officers have been fired for excessive use of force, failure to intervene and failure to render aid — stemming from an arrest during a traffic stop of a man who later died in a hospital.
Video of deadly traffic stop to be released after five Memphis police officers fired
Ben Crump comments on fired black police officers
Tuesday 24 January 2023 10:01 , Graeme Massie
“It is not the race of the police officer that is the determining factor of the amount of force, it is the race of the citizen,” Mr Crump said. on Monday. “...It is about the Black and brown citizens that get dealt excessive force from the police officers, whether they are Black, white or brown, and it has to stop.”
MPD fires five officers over death of Tyre Nichols
Tuesday 24 January 2023 07:56 , Graeme Massie
Five Memphis police officers fired after death of Tyre Nichols
Tuesday 24 January 2023 06:30 , Graeme Massie
MPD determined the officers violated multiple policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid.
Skateboarders
Tuesday 24 January 2023 05:05 , Graeme Massie
Skateboarders skate in front of Memphis city hall to remember Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, five of whom have been fired. Tyre was a member of the skateboarding community, and they gathered at the request of Tyre’s family to honour him.
Lawyer Ben Crump vows to fight for Tyre Nichols
Tuesday 24 January 2023 03:35 , Graeme Massie
“This is who Tyre Nichols was — a talented and dedicated skateboarder with SO much life left to live… He didn’t deserve to be tragically taken from his family and community! We will continue to fight for accountability for you Tyre!” tweeted Mr Crump on Monday.
Family say Tyre Nichols was beaten ‘like a human piñata’ in Memphis police ‘murder’
Tuesday 24 January 2023 02:01 , Graeme Massie
High-profile attorney Ben Crump called bodycam footage of his death “appalling, deplorable and heinous.”
Bevan Hurley has the story.
Family say Tyre Nichols was beaten ‘like a human piñata’ in Memphis police ‘murder’
Who was Rodney King?
Tuesday 24 January 2023 00:59 , Graeme Massie
MPD calls death of Tyre Nichols after interaction with officers ‘egregious’
Monday 23 January 2023 23:02 , Graeme Massie
Tyre Nichols live blog
Monday 23 January 2023 21:36 , Graeme Massie
This is a live blog covering the death of Memphis man Tyre Nichols after he was arrested and beaten by police in the city.
More follows.
RowVaugn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, overcome by emotion at press conference
Monday 23 January 2023 22:56 , Graeme Massie
