Memphis authorities released more than an hour of video Friday of the violent beating of Tire Nichols, in which officers grabbed the black motorist and repeatedly beat him as he yelled for his mother.
The video surfaced a day after the officers, all of whom are also black, were charged with murder in Nichols’ death.
Footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes, while yelling obscenities at him throughout the attack. The Nichols family legal team has compared the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.
“I’m going to beat the (expletive) out of you,” an agent is heard saying. His body cam shows him raising the baton as at least one other officer holds Nichols down.
After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of his car, he is heard saying, “I didn’t do anything,” as a group of officers begin to wrestle him to the ground.
“Get down on the ground,” one officer yells, while another is heard yelling “Pass him the gun! Taser him.”
Nichols calmly responds shortly after being pushed to the ground: “Okay, I’m on the ground.” Moments later, as the officers continue to yell, Nichols says, “Dude, I’m on the ground.”
An officer yells, “Put your hands behind your back before I break the (expletive) on you.” Moments later, an officer yells, “(expletive), put your hands behind your back before I break them.”
“I’m just trying to go home”, “stop, I’m not doing anything”, Nichols shouts moments later.
The camera briefly blacks out, and then Nichols can be seen running as an officer tasers him. The agents then begin to pursue Nichols.
Following the beating, officers milled about for several minutes as Nichols lay propped up against the car and then collapsed in the street.
“This young man, by definition of the law in this state, was terrified. Not by one, not by two, but by five agents that we now know… acted in concert,” said attorney Antonio Romanucci, who represents the Nichols family.
The agents “acted together… to inflict harm, terrorism, oppression of liberty, oppression of constitutional rights, which led to murder,” he declared.
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis described the officers’ actions as “egregious, reckless and inhumane” and said her department has been unable to prove the reckless driving charge that led to the arrest. There is no video of the stop showing Nichols driving recklessly.
The officers were “aggressive, loud, used foul language and probably scared Mr. Nichols from the start.”
“We know that something happened before this agent or these agents got out of their vehicles… Knowing the nature of agents, it takes something to make them this nervous. We don’t know what happened,” he said.
“All we know is that the amount of force that was applied in this situation was excessive,” Davis said.This series of file photos provided by the Shelby County Police Department shows, in the top row, from left to right, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III; and on the bottom row, from left to right, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. (Shelby County Police Department)
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the “horrific” nature of the video, but advocated for peace. “I don’t want us to burn down our city, to tear up the streets, because that’s not what my son stood for,” she said Thursday. “If they are here for me and for Tyre, then they will protest peacefully.”
In a White House speech, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was“very concerned” about the prospect of violence and called for the protests to remain peaceful.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was “appalled” by the video and that all FBI field officers have been alerted to work with state and local partners, including in Memphis, “in case something goes wrong.” control.”
Each of the officers faces charges of second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bail and been released Friday morning, according to court and jail records. Officer Justin Smith.
“No one who was there that night intended for Tire Nichols to die,” Massey said. Tennessee law punishes second-degree murder with penalties of between 15 and 60 years in prison.
Rallies and demonstrations were scheduled for Friday night in Memphis, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Portland, Oregon and Washington.
