Five Memphis police officers were fired after a man who had been hospitalized after being arrested died.
It has been reported that an individual named Tyre Nichols died on Jan. 10, 2023, following a traffic stop that occurred on Jan. 7. The family of Nichols and community activists are calling for the release of any video footage of the confrontation that led to his death. They argue that the footage would provide important information about the incident and help to ensure transparency and accountability.
According to a statement from Police Chief Carolyn “CJ” Davis, investigators working on an internal review of the arrest of Tyre Nichols found that the officers involved violated policies for use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid. As a result, the five officers were terminated from their positions.
The family of Tyre Nichols voiced their approval of the terminations in a statement from their attorneys, who said “We join Tyre’s family in supporting the Department’s decision to terminate the five officers who brutalized him, ultimately causing his death. This is the first step towards achieving justice for Tyre and his family.”
The attorneys further added that the officers must also be held accountable for robbing Tyre of his life and his son of a father.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into whether the officers’ actions were criminal in nature.
The statement issued by the police chief also stressed that the egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work the police officers perform, with integrity every day.
The union representing the officers involved in the Tyre Nichols case, the Memphis Police Association, released a statement saying, “Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, the Memphis Police Association will not comment on the termination of officers in the Tyre Nichols case. The citizens of Memphis, and more importantly, the family of Mr. Nichols deserve to know the complete account of the events leading up to his death and what may have contributed to it.”
Additionally, it is reported that the Department of Justice and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into the incident. On January 8, the police department announced that officers pulled over a motorist for reckless driving the previous day.
According to a statement posted on social media, as the officers approached the driver of the vehicle, a confrontation occurred and the suspect fled the scene on foot. The officers pursued the suspect and again attempted to take him into custody when another confrontation occurred before the suspect was apprehended, according to the police statement.
According to officials, after the suspect was apprehended, he complained of having a shortness of breath, at which time an ambulance was called to the scene. The suspect was identified as Tyre Nichols and was transported to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition. He died a few days later, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
On Tuesday, city officials announced that the video record by the officers’ body-worn cameras will be released publicly after the police department’s internal investigation ends and after the family is given a chance to review the recordings. The attorney of the family, Ben Crump, said that the family will get a chance to see the footage “in the coming days”. He and the family have planned a news conference for Monday afternoon.
