It was at the beginning of January that 29-year-old Tire Nichols was stopped and arrested by the police in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
According to a statement from the police, Nichols should have been arrested on suspicion of reckless driving.
There are said to have been two confrontations in total on January 7: one where Nichols drove away from police as they approached his car, and another when the actual arrest took place.
Nichols ended up in hospital with critical injuries after the arrest. He died three days later.
The bereaved now demand answers to what it was that made Nichols have to pay with his life after his arrest in January.
CRITICAL DAMAGE: Photos from the hospital show that Tire Nichols was unconscious and bruised shortly after his arrest in January. The photo shows survivors during a protest in Memphis on January 14. Photo: Jordan James/AP
Five were fired
On Friday this week, five police officers were fired after an internal investigation into the incident, the newspaper writes The New York Times.
The grounds are that the officers used excessive force against Nichols. They are also accused of not having given enough help to the critically injured 29-year-old.
Despite the decision, the police have been tight-lipped about details surrounding the actual course of events.
MOURNING: Rodney Wells, stepfather of the late Tyre Nichols, during a memorial service for his stepson on January 17. Photo: Mark Weber/AP
According to the newspaper The Washington Post, Nichols reportedly broke his neck during the incident. The 29-year-old is said to have also pointed out that he struggled to breathe during the arrest.
Pictures from the hospital show that Nichols was bruised and unconscious.
The incident was filmed
The arrest of the 29-year-old was filmed using a body camera on one of the police officers, but this has not yet been made public. In addition, several surveillance cameras are to be placed near where the arrest took place, according to The Washington Post.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. The Ministry of Justice and the FBI have also started investigations related to civil rights.
The video is expected to be made public when the investigation of the case is finished. This is expected to happen early next week, according to local officials with whom the newspaper has been in contact.
CLOSE FRIEND: Friend Sierra Rogers gave a eulogy for Tire Nichols on February 17. She is one of many who are now distraught that yet another life has been lost due to police violence. Photo: Mark Weber/AP
Survivors will be the first to see the recording.
– We support the police’s decision to dismiss the five officers who used violence against Tyre, which ultimately caused his death. This is the first step on the road to achieving justice for Tyre and his family, say the family’s lawyers Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci.
The lawyers describe the arrest of Nichols as brutal.
Crump also represented the family of George Floyd in 2020. The murder of Floyd led to extensive demonstrations worldwide.
