New videos reveal police brutally assailing Tyre Nichols
- Memphis officials released four videos of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after a traffic stop. The footage shows the 29-year-old being kicked, punched, clubbed and more without signs of fighting back.
- The videos also reveal how long it took for medical attention to reach Nichols, how the officers quickly turned violent at the beginning of the traffic stop and how their demands while they assaulted him were contradictory.
- In the videos, Nichols calls for his mom. She said earlier this week he was 80 yards away from her house when the beating took place.
- Protesters gathered in Memphis, New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities on Friday night as others took to social media to remember Nichols. His family asked demonstrators remain peaceful.
- Five ex-Memphis police officers have been charged in Nichols' death, and two sheriffs' deputies were relieved of duty after the videos were released on Friday night.
Harrowing videos show police fatally beat Tyre Nichols, who cries out for his mother
It took 26 minutes for a stretcher to appear at the spot where Tyre Nichols was slumped over on the ground after a Memphis police officer was first seen appearing to kick him in the face.
That was according to one of the four videos authorities released Friday night capturing the brutal assault on 29-year-old Nichols, who was pulled over during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and was dead three days later.
The footage showed four vantage points: Three videos were from officer body-worn cameras and one was from a police surveillance camera mounted on a pole. The videos depicted Nichols being punched, struck with a baton, seemingly kicked in the face, and sprayed with an irritant. They also captured him crying out for his mother and saying he was trying to go home.
And they appeared to show police’s aggressive, chaotic and at times inconsistent demands of Nichols — like demanding he provide his hands while his arm was being held and he was being pulled to his feet. They also appear to show police punch him as he is being held.
Police officials across U.S. condemn Nichols arrest, death
New York City’s police commissioners and top officials at law enforcement agencies across the country expressed shock and anger at the treatment of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police.
Reacting after body camera and other video was released Friday evening, NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said she and her department were outraged.
“The disgraceful actions depicted in the released video are an unequivocal violation of our oath to protect those we serve, and a failure of basic human decency,” Sewell said in a statement.
Other police chiefs, sheriffs and mayors also weighed in. Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz called the officers’ actions horrific. “What happened to Tyre Nichols should not have happened,” he said.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a video that he was ashamed and angry. "As law enforcement we take an oath to protect and serve. The actions that day broke, violated and tarnished that oath,” he said.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said he was disturbed and heartbroken.
Tyre Nichols Protest in Detroit
Some Democrats call for revival of police accountability bill, the George Floyd Act
Some Democrats on Friday called for reviving the defunct George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as they responded to video of Tyre Nichols’ fatal encounter with Memphis police.
Vice President Kamala Harris led the Democrats in calling for the return of the 2021 bill, which would have lowered the threshold for federal wrongdoing convictions for officers, restricted law enforcement’s use of qualified immunity to hide from liability, and limited police use of physical restraint methods like chokeholds. The bill at one point also included a database of fired officers to make transferring to unknowing communities more difficult.
“Congress must act with urgency and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” she said in a statement late Friday.
President Joe Biden blamed Republicans in the U.S. Senate for blocking the bill in 2021, the year Congress considered a version authored by then-Rep. Karen Bass. It’s known more commonly as the George Floyd Act.
“Real and lasting change will only come if we take action to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again,” Biden said in a statement Friday, reacting to video of Nichols’ death.
Bass, now mayor of Los Angeles, did not call outright for the legislation to be revived Friday, but did argue that its provisions are needed in the wake of Nichols’ death.
“Officers have to know that there will be consequences,” she said on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut with Joy Reid.” “They will lose their job. And also that they just can’t go to another department. That’s why we wanted to have a database, so that an officer couldn’t just go from one department to the next.”
The L.A. County Democratic Party on Friday endorsed the idea of reviving the George Floyd Act, but said stronger accountability must be established at the state and local level.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Nichols’ family alongside lawyer Antonio Romanucci, has called on lawmakers to introduce “Tyre’s law,” which would require fellow officers to intervene when they witness physical abuse.
Romanucci, speaking on MSNBC Friday, said he would like to see Congress “rejuvenate” the George Floyd Act.
“Let Washington hear us,” he said.
Tennessee senators say DOJ and state are investigating
Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty released statements about the video footage of Nichols' beating, with Blackburn calling it "difficult to watch" and Hagerty saying that he was "deeply disturbed" by it.
The two Republican senators also added that they were in close contact with federal and state agencies conducting investigations into the fatal confrontation.
“My office has been in contact with DOJ and will continue to work with our federal and local officials," Blackburn said. "I am confident the Memphis Police Department and State of Tennessee will conduct a thorough investigation."
Hagerty added that he was also in touch the GOP Gov. Bill Lee's office.
“The criminal justice system must swiftly pursue accountability. I echo Governor Lee in urging a full, independent investigation to determine what happened and how to prevent such misconduct from ever happening again," he said.
2 Shelby County deputies 'relieved of duty' as sheriff launches investigation
Two deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office were relieved of duty pending an administrative investigation in connection to Nichols’ death, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. announced Friday night after watching the video for the first time.
Bonner said he had “concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.” The investigation will look into their conduct to determine what happened and if any polices were violated, the sheriff said.
In an earlier statement Friday, Bonner said he was “troubled” by what he saw on the video.
“This horrible incident tarnishes the badge that I wear, and many other good officers wear every day. I will do everything in my power to prevent another parent from having to bury their child in such a senseless and tragic way.”
Officer will watch the videos 'at the appropriate time,' attorney says
An attorney for one of the five Memphis police officers who was fired and then charged with murder in the death of Nichols said the videos need to be examined before they can comment.
Blake Ballin, attorney for Desmond Mills Jr., said that “Mr. Mills and I will review these videos together at the appropriate time.”
“A thorough investigation of all available angles is needed before providing context or comment,” Ballin said. “My heart goes out to the Nichols family and the entire city of Memphis and we hope all will express themselves peacefully.”
Mills and four other now-former officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other counts. Nichols, 29, was hospitalized and died three days after the Jan. 7 traffic stop and violent arrest.
Video shows how officers' commands were often contradictory
Body worn camera video released in the violent traffic stop and arrest of Nichols show a chaotic scene where officers are screaming at times contradictory commands.
In the first of four videos released, Nichols is on the ground on his side, while an officer holds one arm, while his second is beneath him and another officer holds that arm against the ground.
As his arms are held and pinned, officers yell to put his hands behind his back or “I’m going to knock your a-- the f--- out!” and to “lay down,” and that he will be Tased. At times they are screaming over each other at the same time, the video shows.
“I am on the ground!” Nichols is heard saying in the video. Another officer yells “on your stomach!” Moments later, an officer sprays him in the face with what appears to be an irritant spray, and he frees himself and runs.
In the third video, officers yell “give me your hands,” as one officer is holding one arm and appears to be pulling him upwards. Nichols’ other hand appears to be palm down on the ground supporting his body.
The officer with that body camera then starts hitting him with a baton, shouting “give us your hands," the video appears to show.
Overhead video from a pole-mounted camera, which does not have audio, appears to show officers holding Nichols as another officer punches him in the head or face area repeatedly, until Nichols — still being held by officers —collapses.
'Everybody adored him,' Nichols' father says of his son
Police make multiple arrests at NYC protest
Police in New York City have made at least three arrests at a protest near Times Square, a police captain told NBC News.
One arrest was for damage to a police car, a second was for punching a police officer, while the third was for an undisclosed reason, according to the official.
Police are also documenting any damage to other vehicles as protesters weave through cars. They also confiscated bikes from protesters who were trying to prevent arrests from being made.
