Four videos – from body and street cameras – have been released by police showing the incident from different angles. 29-year-old Nichols was pulled over by police on January 7 in Memphis, Tennessee, for “reckless driving.” According to the videos, Nichols was dragged out of the car and pinned to the ground. ORF.at does not show the video material that has now been published because of its brutality.
In it, Nichols is seen telling the cops on several occasions to stop. He was on his way home: “I haven’t done anything.” Nichols managed to get up and flee on foot. The officers tried to stop him with a stun gun. They failed. They caught Nichols again at another crossroads. Several police officers held him down, and others brutally beat him with fists and a baton several times. Nichols kept calling for his mother.
The condition of the 29-year-old deteriorated rapidly and serious injuries were evident. The video shows that an ambulance did not arrive until more than 20 minutes after the brawl. Nichols died of his injuries after three days in hospital. The case is also explosive because Nichols was black – as were the police officers who abused him.
Remembering Rodney King
Lawyers for Nichols’ family have denounced US police racism against black people. A board member of the Black Lives Matter movement said in a statement in the evening that anyone who works in a system that uses state-sanctioned violence is complicit in perpetuating white supremacy.
The Nichols case is already being compared repeatedly to that of Rodney King, the black man who was brutally beaten by police in Los Angeles in 1991 after a chase. King survived but badly injured. The acquittal of the officials led to riots with dozens of deaths. Similar scenes were now feared again.
As recently as Friday evening (local time), demonstrators were peacefully blocking an important highway that ran through Memphis. Some held up signs that read “Justice for Tyre.” US President Joe Biden was also shocked by the brutality of the video recordings. The incident is a reminder of the deep fear, trauma, pain and exhaustion that many black Americans feel every day, Biden said.
Five black cops involved
The police officers had different roles in the man’s death, said District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “But they are all responsible.” The five black police officers involved were fired and charged. They are charged with murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping. Police said there was a “confrontation” after the 29-year-old was stopped. He then fled on foot, and there was another “confrontation”.
“Failure of Basic Humanity”
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis was shocked. “This incident was heinous, inconsiderate and inhumane,” she said. “It’s not just professional failure. That is a failure of basic humanity towards another person. ”That becomes clear in the video material. She also said it’s unclear why police stopped Nichols in the first place.
Tasers and pepper spray
Lawyers for the family described video footage of the incident as “disgusting”. The 29-year-old suffered heavy bleeding from severe beatings after an autopsy commissioned by the family. “They beat my son to death,” Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said tearfully on US television. “His head was swollen like a watermelon.” When she saw her son in the hospital, she realized that he was actually already dead. According to the family, Nichols had worked for a courier company and was the father of a four-year-old son.
Biden calls for non-violence
Biden stressed that blacks were more likely to be involved in deadly clashes with police. He called for demonstrations to remain peaceful. “Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.” Biden also offered his personal condolences to the Nichols family, praising the family’s “courage and strength.”
Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on Twitter that the family and people of Memphis deserve responsibility. “And all Americans deserve a justice system that lives up to its name.”
In the United States, there are regular deadly police operations of a similar nature. The case of George Floyd is representative of this: The African American was killed in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis in May 2020. One of the police officers sat with his knee on Floyd’s neck until he couldn’t breathe. This case also led to nationwide protests against police violence and racism.
