(Trends Wide) — The Memphis police chief condemned the actions of the officers involved in the arrest of Tire Nichols earlier this month as “a basic lack of humanity” ahead of the impending release of video showing the incident.
“This is not just a professional failure. This is basic inhumanity towards another individual,” Chief Cerelyn Davis said in a YouTube video Wednesday, the first on-camera comments from her about the arrest that preceded Nichols’ death.
“This incident was egregious, reckless and inhumane, and in the sense of transparency, when the video is released in the next few days, you will see for yourself.”
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Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was hospitalized after Memphis police pulled him over at a traffic stop and used force to arrest him on January 7. He died of his injuries three days later, the authorities said. authorities.
Tire Nichols. (Provided by Ben Crump)
Five Memphis police officers, who are also black, were fired for violating policies on excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render assistance, the department said. A prosecutor has said a decision will be made on whether to file charges.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy will provide an update on the investigation at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. Miami time), according to a news release.
Lawyers for Nichols’s family said he was severely beaten, citing video the family was able to view earlier this week. Nichols had “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to the lawyers, citing preliminary results of an autopsy they commissioned.
Other Memphis police officers are still under investigation for department policy violations related to the incident, Davis said without elaborating.
Nichols’ arrest and subsequent death come amid heightened scrutiny over how police treat black people, particularly since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 and the well-known protest movement like Black Lives Matter.
Davis, the first black woman to serve as Memphis police chief, said she anticipated the release of the video in the coming days to cause a public backlash and urged citizens not to be violent amid “our outrage and frustration.”
“I hope our citizens will exercise their First Amendment right to protest to demand action and results. But we need to make sure our community is safe in this process,” Davis said. “None of this is a justification for inciting violence or destruction in our community or against our citizens.”
What led to Nichols’ arrest and death?
Nichols, a Memphis resident and FedEx employee whose family said he liked skateboarding, Starbucks and sunsets, was pulled over by Memphis officers on January 7 on suspicion of reckless driving, police said in their opening statement. about the incident.
As officers approached the vehicle, a “standoff” ensued and Nichols fled on foot, police said. The officers gave chase and had another “standoff” before they took him into custody, police said.
Nichols later complained of difficulty breathing, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died three days later, according to police.
Lawyers for the Nichols family who viewed video of the arrest on Monday described it as an excruciating police beating that lasted three long minutes. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Nichols was electrocuted, pepper-sprayed and restrained, likening it to the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King in 1991.
“He was helpless the whole time. He was a human piñata for those policemen. It was an unadulterated, blatant, non-stop beating on this young man for three minutes. That’s what we saw on that video,” said the family’s attorney, Antonio Romanucci. “Not only was he violent, he was savage.”
The five officers who were fired were identified by police as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All joined the department in the last six years, police said.
The Memphis Police Department fired five police officers in connection with the death of Tire Nichols. Above: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. Bottom: Desmond Mills, Jr., Justin Smith. Credit: Memphis Police Dept.
In addition, two members of the city’s fire department who were part of Nichols’ “initial patient care” have been relieved of their duties, a fire spokesman said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced an investigation into Nichols’ death, and the US Department of Justice and the FBI opened an investigation. research of civil rights.
Video of the incident could be released this week or next, Mulroy told Trends Wide’s Laura Coates on Tuesday night, but he wants to make sure his office has interviewed everyone involved before releasing the video so it doesn’t have an impact on your statements.
Prosecutors are trying to expedite the investigation and may be able to make a determination on possible charges “around the same time period that we contemplate the release of the video,” Mulroy said.
Nichols’ family wants the officers charged with murder, Romanucci told Trends Wide’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday night.
Trends Wide’s Eric Levenson, Nick Valencia and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.
