Nearly three weeks after a traffic stop in Memphis ended in a violent arrest and death of the driver, police are releasing CCTV footage of the body. Police said 29-year-old black Tire Nichols died three days after his arrest on January 7. An internal investigation has fired five Black Memphis Police Department officers who may face criminal charges.
Nichols’ family and lawyers met with police and city officials to review traffic control video footage, which shows a vicious, prolonged beating that lasted minutes after officers chased Nichols. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis condemned the officers’ actions and said more investigations are underway.
“This is not just a professional failure”, Davis said.
“This is a failure of basic humanity towards another individual. This incident was horrific, reckless and inhumane. And in the spirit of transparency, when the video is released in the next few days, you will see for yourself.”
The timeline, police investigations, and the Nichol family’s response are as follows:
Contents
January 7 – A traffic stop with fatal consequences
Memphis police stopped a car at 8:30 p.m. on January 7 for reckless driving. Memphis police said Nichols, the driver of the vehicle, fled on foot after “There was a confrontation” with officers. Police subsequently arrested Nichols “There was another confrontation”, with officers.
In addition, you can view the arrests by clicking on the link below:
After Nichols complained of shortness of breath, police called an ambulance to take him to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a statement on January 10 saying that Nichols had died from injuries sustained in the “Incident of violence with agents”, three days after the stop.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a statement on January 10 saying Nichols had died from injuries sustained in the “agent violence incident,” three days after the stop.
January 15 – Police provide an update on the investigation
The Memphis Police Department said the officers were relieved of duty following the traffic stoppage as part of a departmental procedure to investigate their use of force. The TBI and Shelby County District Attorney are investigating. Police said preliminary findings showed serious misconduct by the stop’s officers.
“After reviewing various sources of information related to this incident, I have determined that it is necessary to take immediate and appropriate action.” Chief Davis stated on January 15.
“Today, the department is notifying affected officials of impending administrative actions.”
The statement added that the department had to follow procedures before punishing or firing government officials. In the days following Nichols’ death, his family’s attorney, Ben Crump, repeatedly requested the release of the body camera and traffic control surveillance footage.
“This kind of death in custody destroys community trust if agencies are not transparent quickly,” Crump said.
January 18 – Federal investigation declared
On January 18, the DOJ announced a civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death.
“Last week, Tire Nichols tragically died a few days after being involved in an incident in which Memphis Police Department officers used force during his arrest,” said Kevin G.
Ritz, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
“in conjunction with the FBI’s Memphis Field Office and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, has opened a civil rights investigation,”
Ritz said, refusing to provide details.
January 20 – Officers appointed and discharged
The Memphis Police Department has fired five traffic wardens after an internal investigation for violating multiple department policies. Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith were fired for
“excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render assistance”, the department said.
“The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work our officers do with integrity every day,” Davis said.
The Memphis Police Associationthe officers’ union, declined to comment on the terminations, but said the city and Nichols’ family
“deserve to know the full account of the events leading up to his death and what may have contributed to it.”
Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the lawyers for the Nichols family, cited the firing of the five officers
“the first step towards justice for Tire and his family.”
Public information Agent Qwanesha Ward told CNN“s Nadia Romero that two Memphis Fire Department employees who cared for Nichols” “first patient care” were fired.
You can also check out the links below:
January 23 – Family watches police video
Nichols’ family and lawyers were shocked after viewing unreleased police video of the arrest with officials.
“He was defenseless all the time. He was a human piñata to those cops. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop thrashing from this boy for three minutes. That’s what we saw in that video,” said Romanucci.
“It wasn’t just violent, it was ferocious.”
“What I saw on the video today was horrific,”
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said that on Monday.
“No father, mother should witness what I saw today.”
Crump called the video “terrible, deplorable and horrible.” After hearing Nichols ask: “What have I done?”, Nichols’ mother Ravaughn Wells couldn’t watch for the first minute. The attorney said Nichols called his mother three times at the end of the footage.
According to preliminary autopsy results ordered by his family’s lawyers, Nichols was suffering “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” CNN has requested the autopsy, which Crump says will be available when the full report is ready.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has not announced charges. On Tuesday, District Attorney Steve Mulroy told CNN his office will interview all parties before the footage is released.
“A lot of people’s questions about exactly what happened will of course be answered once people see the video,”
Mulroy said, noting that he believes the city will release enough footage to see the
“The whole incident, from the very beginning to the end.”
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