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
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.
Officer fired over Tyre Nichols death was accused of brutally beating prison inmate in 2016
12:29 , Megan Sheets
One of five Memphis police officers who were fired over the alleged beating death of Tyre Nichols had been accused of beating a prison inmate unconscious years earlier, according to a federal civil rights complaint.
The complaint was filed against former officer Demetrius Haley in April 2016 in Tennessee’s US District Court by Cordarlrius Sledge, NBC News reported.
Mr Sledge accused Mr Haley of being among three corrections officers who assaulted him while he behind bars at the Shelby County Division of Corrections in May 2015.
Mr Sledge said the officers searched his cell and baselessly accused him of flushing contraband before attacking him.
He claimed Mr Haley and another officer punched him in the face before the third officer slammed him into a sink. He woke up later in a hospital bed at the facility.
The suit was dismissed in 2018 after a judge ruled Mr Sledge - who filed the complaint without a lawyer - did not properly serve a summons to one of the defendants.
ICYMI: Another Black man killed by police and his mother wants answers
10:30 , Josh Marcus
There is so much that is uniquely appalling about the death of the young father after the traffic stop on 7 January, a few hundred metres from home.
One is that yet another child has been left without a father.
And just as the last desperate words of both Eric Garner, killed by police in New York City, and George Floyd, murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, were “I can’t breathe”, Tyre’s equally helpless confusion was captured in his: “What did I do wrong?”
Yet as Crump and his fellow attorney, Antonio Romanucci, underscored as they and the family of the young man spoke to the media in Tennessee on Monday, what is equally awful is how so many of these police killings echo one another.
They are the same but different and yet they keep happening.
Read more from Andrew Buncombe’s full piece for Independent Voices.
‘The video is appalling, it is deplorable’: Another Black man killed by police
Tyre Nichols investigation leads to firings and suspensions across multiple Memphis departments
07:59 , Josh Marcus
Two Memphis Fire Department employees have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation into the death of a Black man after a violent arrest that led to the firing of five police officers.
The employees were involved in the initial patient care of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Fire Department said in a statement.
Memphis police officers beat Nichols on Jan. 7 for three minutes, treating him like “a human piñata” in a “savage” encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King, attorneys for his family said Monday after the family saw police video.
More details in our full story.
2 fire dep't employees removed amid investigation into death
Why the Tyre Nichols case is bringing back memories of Rodney King
05:00 , Josh Marcus
Family members, activists, and community residents are comparing a violent January police stop to the infamous Rodney King beating of 1991.
Gustaf Kilander has the details you need to know about the Tyre Nichols case in Memphis.
‘Reminded us of Rodney King’: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols
When will the Tyre Nichols body camera footage be released and why is it taking so long?
02:00 , Josh Marcus
Tyre Nichols, 29, died in Memphis, Tennessee on January 10 just three days after being arrested by members of the city’s police department. Now, two weeks later, residents are still waiting to see the body camera footage of the arrest that seemingly led to the death.
Mr Nichols was initially pulled over for reckless driving on January 7 and allegedly fled from police. He complained of difficulty breathing shortly after police confronted him and was taken to an area hospital, where he died.
The five officers involved in Mr Nichols’ arrest were fired last week, which civil rights advocates heralded as a step towards justice for Mr Nichols.
But those advocates believe there is still a long way to go before justice is fully served in the death of another Black American following a confrontation with police.
Abe Asher has the details.
When will the Tyre Nichols body camera footage be released?
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.
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.
