Tyre Nichols

Several police officers involved in Nichols' arrest were part of Memphis' specialized unit assigned with addressing violent crime, although officers said ...

[released the footage](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-video-footage-released-of-violent-arrest-in-memphis/?sh=5ab762832d8e) of Nichols’ violent arrest Friday night, revealing what prosecutors argue was a deadly police beating, and what Davis [described](https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1618945605560315905?s=20&t=L3bzOjGh_7s6P3cqHkY7Hg) as “heinous,” a defiance of “humanity,” and “about the same, if not worse” than the violent 1991 police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles that prompted riots. Before the footage was made public, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, [Tyre Nichols’ Killing: What We Know About The Investigation Into Memphis Police Officers](https://www.forbes.com/video/6319313900112/tyre-nichols-killing-what-we-know-about-the-investigation-into-memphis-police-officers/?sh=24d9d54ad06b) (Forbes) [Tyre Nichols’ Killing: 5 Memphis Police Officers Charged With Murder](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/01/26/tyre-nichols-killing-5-memphis-police-officers-charged-with-murder/?sh=48b9c0ea22b5) (Forbes) [Tyre Nichols Video: Footage Released Of Violent Arrest In Memphis](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-video-footage-released-of-violent-arrest-in-memphis/?sh=68d9b41f2d8e) (Forbes) and Justin Smith—were “ [directly responsible](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpD2FDjBBr8)” for Nichols’ death. The five officers involved, who are also Black, were [charged](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/01/26/tyre-nichols-killing-5-memphis-police-officers-charged-with-murder/?sh=6a0d26a222b5) with second-degree murder on Thursday, after being fired by the Memphis Police Department last week, following multiple investigations into the arrest. What happened before the body cameras started? Why were five police officers involved in a routine traffic stop? [urged](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tyre-nichols-mother-asks-protesters-to-be-peaceful-when-bodycam-footage-is-released/) people to “protest in peace” upon the release of the video, saying it would be “horrific.” President Joe Biden made a similar [warning](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/26/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-tyre-nichols-case/) in a statement on Thursday, saying, “outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.” FBI Director Christopher Wray had also [alerted FBI field officers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/27/fbi-chief-appalled-at-violent-video-of-tyre-nichols-arrest-ahead-of-public-release/?sh=39a759486fb4) to prepare for the possibility of protests “getting out of hand,” after he saw the video, saying he was “appalled” by what he saw. Why was a special unit involved? Why did it turn violent? Nichols died of excessive blood loss at a Memphis hospital on January 10, three days after he was pulled over in what police said was a routine traffic stop. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/28/us/tyre-nichols-beating-video-takeaways/index.html) law enforcement analyst John Miller described the situation as a failure of police officers to use “arrest and control tactics” and resorting to “brutality”—with Nichols heard telling officers he was “just trying to get home” as he ran from police, before they catch up with him, throwing kicks and punches, and using pepper spray.

The video shows a violent confrontation between officers from the unit and 29-year-old Nichols, during which officers can be seen punching him and using batons ...

We must keep in mind that this is just the next step on this journey for justice and accountability, as clearly this misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units. “We hope that other cities take similar action with their saturation police units in the near future to begin to create greater trust in their communities. “The officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next step.

The influential civil rights campaigner rejected the idea that there was no race element to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, ...

"You guys are really doing a lot right now," Mr Nichols says loudly to the officers. He is then punched, kicked and hit with a baton. Tase him!" "You know you couldn't get away with doing that in Tennessee to a white guy - and you won't get away with doing it to a black guy either." US President Joe Biden said he was "outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols' death". "I said the race part of it is those black guys thought they could get away with doing it to a black guy. Moments later, as the officers continue to shout, Mr Nichols says: "Man, I am on the ground." [What is Scorpion, the police unit at the centre of Tyre Nichols' death?](https://news.sky.com/story/scorpion-the-police-task-force-set-up-to-tackle-high-murder-rates-now-involved-in-the-killing-of-an-unarmed-man-12797382) [Timeline of violent arrest](https://news.sky.com/story/punched-kicked-and-tasered-timeline-of-violent-arrest-of-tyre-nichols-12797300) [Arrest video is sickening indictment of policing that night](https://news.sky.com/story/tyre-nichols-death-haunting-video-of-arrest-is-sickening-indictment-of-policing-that-night-in-memphis-12797192) After the first officer roughly pulls Mr Nichols out of his car just after 8:20pm on 7 January this year, the FedEx worker can be heard saying "I didn't do anything" as a group of officers begins to wrestle him to the ground. The father-of-one calmly replied soon after being wrestled to the pavement: "OK, I'm on the ground." "I'm going to baton the f*** out of you," one officer can be heard saying. Speaking at a rally in Harlem, New York, Reverend Sharpton also rejected the idea that there was no race element to the fatal beating of Mr Nichols by the officers just because they themselves are black.

Memphis police chief says 'the heinous actions of a few' cast 'a cloud of dishonour' on the specialised unit after a new video was released.

“There’s always more to the story.” "We have to do better," she told CNN. I’m just trying to go home,” Nichols tells the officers. Mom!" One officer tells him he will get "blown out". They were all part of the Scorpion unit. This group, we believe, went off the rails that night”. He can be heard repeatedly screaming, "Mom! The officers order him to lay on his stomach and spray him in the face with a chemical and appear to deploy a stun gun on him. They said the footage showed him being "terrorised" by "Scorpion" officers who acted "like a pack of wolves". The police chief said "the heinous actions of a few" had cast "a cloud of dishonour" on the unit. She said the officers currently assigned to the unit agreed "unreservedly" with the step.

The so-called Scorpion special unit will be disbanded after its officers were seen beating Mr Nichols.

The Scorpion programme was touted by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in a speech a year ago. If the system is broken, she added, the only way to fix it is to start again. "Memphis is taking a stand," said Casio Montez, one of the protest organisers. But she acknowledged that the officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols "decided to go off the rails". He died in hospital three days later, on 10 January. "We are doing an individual evaluation of all units," she said.

The footage shows a brutal beating but we still don't know why officers decided to stop his car.

For several minutes, police punched and kicked him, in the body and the head, while Mr Nichols cried for his mother. We don't know how long it is before Mr Nichols is taken to hospital. There is no known evidence that this was the case, and later in the video, officers say they did not find anything in his car. "You guys are really doing a lot right now," Mr Nichols says to the officers. The footage did show the harrowing events that led to Mr Nichols' death, but many questions still remain. Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who is the first black woman to serve in the role, told the BBC she was shocked.

The death of Nichols, 29, after being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, during a traffic stop has prompted outrage.

[officers are charged](https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-police-officers-charged-48d48f2137a2f34482274edb1bd1bab2) with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush said that Congress must take action, arguing “charging the officers who brutalized Tyre is not enough”. Memphis police claimed in a statement that officers tried to stop a man for reckless driving on 7 January and he was brought to hospital in critical condition following two confrontations. Five Black officers involved in the incident were fired and [charged](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/26/tyre-nichols-five-ex-police-officers-custody) Thursday with murder. [Tyre Nichols](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/26/memphis-police-tyre-nichols-death-what-we-know), a Black man, died several days after Memphis, Tennessee police repeatedly beat him following a 7 January traffic stop. 26 January They describe the footage as showing a “savage” three-minute interaction that recalled the notorious 1991 police beating of Black Los Angeles driver Rodney King. They tell media that Nichols was restrained, pepper-sprayed, and “was a human piñata for those police officers”. Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told reporters that his stepson suffered kidney failure and cardiac arrest because of the beatdown. All of these officers are Black. After the officers drag Nichols out of his car, and position him against the ground, he gets up and runs away. 7 January

RowVaughn Wells was speaking to US news network MSNBC a day after Memphis Police released bodycam footage showing her son screaming "mom, mom" several times ...

"You guys are really doing a lot right now," Mr Nichols says loudly to the officers. He is then punched, kicked and hit with a baton. I pray for (the officers') families, because their families didn't deserve any of this either." Tase him!" "They just brought disgrace to themselves. He was a great dad. RowVaughn Wells also said she hates the fact it is "five black men" who have been charged with murdering her son. You just brought a bad taste to everybody's mouth. My son probably was their age. Mr Nichol's mother earlier said in the same interview: "Tyre was a beautiful person, he was full of life, as you can see he loved to skateboard, he loved to watch the sunsets. He finished his assignment and God took him back home. The mother of Tyre Nichols has said she is "not going to stop" until every person responsible for her son's death "is prosecuted to the fullest of law".

Body cam footage of the brutal arrest in Memphis of the Black man has sparked protests in several cities. The five ex-officers involved face a litany of ...

"This tragedy meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death. She called it a professional failing and said "the incident was heinous, reckless and inhumane." In Memphis, a group of demonstrators gathered at a downtown park and then took to the streets, shutting down the I-55 bridge over the Mississippi River between Memphis and West Memphis. "Yet again, we're seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops," Crump said. Later, officers are seen repeatedly kicking, punching and using a baton to strike Nichols as he lies on the ground. During the initial confrontation, Nichols fled the scene of the traffic stop, police said. needs a great deal of reform. 8 ](https://twitter.com/MEM_PoliceDept/status/1612057507937095680)that Nichols was taken into custody after a traffic stop that involved two confrontations with officers. In the videos, officers are seen dragging Nichols from his car and shouting profanities throughout the confrontation. [The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-profile-memphis-3104f3cdbaf568daf6647eca080d4001). After attempting to flee on foot, Nichols was aggressively beaten by police, newly released police video shows. 7 for what police said was reckless driving.

Move follows release of video which has renewed criticism of American policing tactics.

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The announcement came as the US and the city of Memphis struggled to come to grips with the officers' violence.

The officer says that when Mr Nichols pulled up to a red light, the officers jumped out. She also was struck by the immediate aggression from officers as soon as they got out of the car: “It just went to 100… During the wait for an ambulance, officers joke and air grievances. She said the officers currently assigned to it agreed “unreservedly”. She said it was imperative that the department “take proactive steps in the healing process”. Others are called, and a search ensues before Mr Nichols is caught at another intersection. The attack continues even after he collapses. At the time, she was chief in Durham, North Carolina, and had called for sweeping police reform. “Nobody tried to stop anything. Protesters also blocked traffic in New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. They face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Protestors marching though downtown Memphis cheered when they heard the unit had been dissolved.

The Scorpion unit has been deactivated after video was released of the brutal beating of the 29-year-old at the hands of officers.

“It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit,” she said in a statement. It had been inactive since Nichols’ 7 January arrest. The Scorpion unit is composed of three teams of about 30 officers whose stated aim is to target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime.

The footage shows a brutal beating but we still don't know why officers decided to stop his car.

For several minutes, police punched and kicked him, in the body and the head, while Mr Nichols cried for his mother. We don't know how long it is before Mr Nichols is taken to hospital. There is no known evidence that this was the case, and later in the video, officers say they did not find anything in his car. "You guys are really doing a lot right now," Mr Nichols says to the officers. The footage did show the harrowing events that led to Mr Nichols' death, but many questions still remain. Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who is the first black woman to serve in the role, told the BBC she was shocked.

Officers were not in danger and brutality had no justification, advocates and experts say.

“It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit,” Davis reportedly said, saying the decision was made after listening to Nichols’ family, community members, and officers who were not in the unit. “This now brings back [memories] to their families, especially the families of those who died - they relive them, as they see the video and all the news coverage of this video.” “We must continue to question the police’s role in society, as these incidents frequently recur, and many more happen all the time without being captured on body-worn cameras.” They were part of what was called the Scorpion unit, which had several teams of approximately 30 street officers who pursued violent offenders in areas with high crime rates, the Associated Press said. “The problem is, what’s happening in Mississippi, what’s happening in New York City, every city, every state.” “The police chief in Memphis has taken a very aggressive stance. Nichols, the father of a four-year-old boy, died on 10 January. “At the end of the day, that final video shows someone being beaten and abused like he’s in a pinball game. Nichols is punched, kicked, and struck with a baton. “That man was defenseless. “It’s as if they just went and played a baseball game and they talked about what happened afterward. “What’s most shocking about it all is the brutality and then at the end, the complete dehumanization of this man.

Memphis police unit has been disbanded in a “cloud of dishonour” after a video was released showing some of its officers beating a black motorist to death.

She said it was imperative that the department “take proactive steps in the healing process.” ... This was never a matter of de-escalation. “Nobody tried to stop anything. “It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit,” she said in a statement. Referring to “the heinous actions of a few” that dishonored the unit, Davis contradicted an earlier statement that she would keep the unit. Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said she took action after a harrowing video of the officers attacking Tyre Nichols was released.