Memphis police release video showing fatal beating of Tyre Nichols
Video released by authorities in Memphis Friday captures police officers beating Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop that ended with his hospitalization and death earlier this month.
The footage shared by the Memphis Police Department shows disturbing and graphic conduct that the city’s top police official has previously called “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”
Lawyers for Nichols’ family, who were given a private viewing earlier this week, have compared the video to the 1991 beating of Rodney King by police officers in Los Angeles.
One of the lawyers, Antonio Romanucci, described it as an “unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating.”
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, has said she only made it through the first minute.
“Any of you who have children, please don’t let them see it,” she said during a news conference Friday before the video’s release.
The video is available here. Warning: It shows graphic violence that could be disturbing.
Memphis police ‘Scorpion unit’ remains inactive, mayor says
The Memphis police Scorpion unit that was involved in the beating that preceded Tyre Nichols’ death remains inactive, Mayor Jim Strickland said Friday.
The mayor said the unit remains inactive in a statement released hours before footage is to be shared showing the police confrontation with Nichols, 29, earlier this month. Five officers were fired and have been charged with second-degree murder.
"I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies, and operations of our specialized units. Since this event happened, the SCORPION Unit has been and remains inactive," Strickland said in a weekly newsletter.
The unit's name stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. It was launched in November of 2021.
White House officials talk with mayors about potential protests
The White House homeland security adviser and a senior adviser to President Joe Biden spoke with mayors and officials from at least 16 cities about possible protests Friday, the White House said.
The call was made in advance of the expected public release of video in the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after a violent encounter with Memphis police officers on Jan. 7. The five officers were fired and are charged with murder.
“Participating mayors shared their perspectives on how important it is to recognize the pain felt by communities across this country, be prepared in advance with a game plan to provide adequate community support, and to reinforce the importance of peace and calm during these difficult moments,” the White House said.
White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall and Senior Advisor to the President Julie Rodriguez briefed the cities about federal preparations, the statement said.
Antonia Hylton: Expect to see ‘delay’ in aid to Nichols in bodycam footage of arrest
Biden speaks with family of Tyre Nichols ahead of bodycam video release
President Joe Biden spoke by phone with the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols on Friday afternoon to express his condolences for the 29-year-old’s death after he was stopped by Memphis police earlier this month.
During his conversation with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Biden commended the family’s courage and strength, the White House said.
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Memphis fire officials receive video showing Tyre Nichols' beating, will conclude investigation next week
The Memphis Fire Department said it received full access to video footage showing the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols earlier Friday.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the department said it is "currently reviewing the footage" and "would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and loved ones" of Nichols.
The agency is conducting its own investigation into the Jan. 7 traffic stop by Memphis police. Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 10. Fire department officials said Friday it will conclude its investigation early next week.
Two fire department personnel "involved in the initial patient care" of Nichols were relieved of duty earlier this week. The five Memphis officers involved in the traffic stop were fired and have since been arrested on numerous charges including murder.
New York City protest planned in response to Tyre Nichols' death
A New York City group announced it is organizing a rally on Friday in New York City's Times Square in response to the release of the body camera footage that Memphis police said shows the assault of Tyre Nichols by five police officers.
The New York City branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation said they "are calling on all New Yorkers to hit the streets with us tomorrow" in an Instagram post shared by the group's account on Thursday.
The group said that it demands "an end to racist police terror in Black and Brown communities" and "that all killer cops go to jail."
It is unclear how many people might gather at this protest, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the NYPD was prepared to ensure any rallies proceeded peacefully.
Protests planned in numerous cities in response to Nichols' death
An initial NBC News analysis of social media posts has found protests planned in numerous cities across the country in response to the Memphis police's release of the footage of Tyre Nichols' assault that led to his death.
Demanding greater action against police abuse, activists have organized rallies to coincide with the video's release in at least eight cities on Friday, including Memphis, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Portland, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and New York City.
Many announcements included the words "no justice, no peace," which were a rallying cry during the George Floyd protests that swept the country in 2020.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams hurt 'personally and professionally' by Nichols case, said city is ready for protests
As a victim of police violence and also as a former NYPD officer who sought to diversify the police force, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was deeply affected by Tyre Nichols' case on Friday.
While speaking to reporters at a press conference on subway safety with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Adams recounted how he had pushed for a more inclusive police force as an officer.
"To see what is reported, that five African American officers are involved in this, just really hurt me personally," he said, "because it was always my belief that diversifying our departments with different ethnic groups would allow us to have the level of policing that we all deserve."
Adams said he has not seen the video, but he intended to watch it. From the description he has heard, the mayor said it sounded as though the officers had "violated the law."
In anticipation of protests, both Adams and Hochul said they had spoken with police leadership to ensure that any protests could proceed peacefully.
"I will ask everyone to heed the words of Tyre Nichols' mother," Hochul said. "On behalf of her family and his four-year-old child, if you're going to protest, please do so peacefully in her son's memory."
Police chief says so far probe can't 'substantiate' reckless driving claim
Memphis police initially said Tyre Nichols was stopped for reckless driving in the brutal police interaction on Jan. 7, but Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis said Friday authorities have not been able to substantiate the reason for the stop.
“We have not been able to substantiate the cause of the stop, the violation. The only thing that we have right now is the officer saying that Mr. Nichols was driving recklessly, initially on the wrong side of the road,” she told NBC News' Tom Llamas Friday morning.
“My staff, I asked them to pull all of the video that they can find in the area … and we were unable to find that and we were unable to get that captured on body worn camera as well from the initial officer,” she explained.
The chief condemned the officers' behavior in the incident, saying they their actions were “not police protocol.”
“I’ve been in business for 36 years and a lot of the aggression and the approach [of the officers] was over the top,” she said.
'This is the blueprint': Crump applauds DA for swiftly charging ex-Memphis officers
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump on Friday applauded the district attorney for swiftly filing charges against the five former Memphis officers accused of beating Tyre Nichols during a Jan. 7 traffic stop.
But Crump, who is representing the family, said justice should be quickly pursued in every case of police brutality.
“We look at how swiftly the district attorney brought charges against them in less than 20 days. Then we want to proclaim that this is the blueprint going forward for any time any officers, whether they be black or white, will be held accountable," Crump said at a news conference Friday.
He continued: "No longer can you tell us we got to wait six months to a year even though we have a video with evidence of the excessive force and the crime. No more can you tell us that. With these five black officers, you all moved swiftly."
Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 10, three days after the traffic stop.
Lawyers applaud kidnapping charges and say Nichols was 'terrorized'
Attorney Antonio Romanucci said terrorism was part of the kidnapping charges against the five Memphis police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death.
“Think about the weight of a kidnapping charge being brought against officers who are wearing a badge, a shield, carrying weapons on their duty belt, acting under the color of law. When has that happened in this country?” he said.
He pointed to the September 11, 2001, attacks and other "heinous acts" that have happened in the U.S. related to terrorism.
"That, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition that we are dealing with here on this kidnapping charge. It is terrorism. It was designed to terrorize the victim. This young man by definition of the law in this state was terrorized, not by one, not by two, but by five officers who we now know that the charges brought actually state that they acted in concert with each other," he said.
"They acted together as that pack of wolves to inflict harm, terrorism, oppression of liberty, oppression of constitutional rights, which led to murder,” Romanucci continued.
Attorney Ben Crump said Nichols’ told the officers, “I just want to home home.”
“It's a traffic stop for God’s sake. A simple traffic stop. He’s kidnapped for a simple traffic stop?" Crump asked.
Nichols' mother: He said he was going to be famous one day
RowVaughn Wells said that she hasn't had time to grieve her son Tyre Nichols' death, but remembered him fondly on Friday.
"My son is looking down smiling," she said. "You know it’s funny, he’s always saying he was going to be famous one day, I didn’t know this is what he meant."
Attorney Ben Crump said Nichols’ last words in the body camera footage of his arrest were three cries for his mother.
"I'm still dealing with the death of my son. This was not supposed to happen. My son was supposed to be with me today," she said. "I’ll always be with him because I told everyone he has a tattoo of my name on his arm."
"My son loved me to death and I loved him to death," Wells continued. "No mother should go through what I'm going through right now. To lose their child to the violent way that I lost my child."
Calls to disband Memphis PD's Scorpion Unit
Attorney Antonio Romanucci called for disbanding the Scorpion Unit, an anti-violence unit within the Memphis Police Department involved in the arrest of Nichols.
He called the squad an “oppression unit” that targets the city’s most vulnerable. This unit had “engaged in this type of brutality before,” attorney Ben Crump said.
Memphis’ Scorpion Unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods, was created in October 2021 under the police department’s Organized Crime Unit.
Made up of 40 officers divided into four 10-member teams, the unit was tasked not only with addressing violent crime but also with investigating car thefts and gangs. The officers’ “crime suppression” assignments changed depending on where crime was worst.
This week, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis announced a review of all the police department’s specialized units, including Scorpion, in response to Nichols’ death.
Memphis police chief explains why footage will be released late on Friday
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said that the long-anticipated body camera footage of Tyre Nichols' assault will be released Friday evening on YouTube and on the city's website.
Davis told Tom Llamas in an interview on NBC News NOW that they decided to release the hour-long video late on Friday because they wanted to lessen the potential effect on the community and the school system.
"Friday evening will be a good time to try to get people home, try to have our children safe and have a means of being able to manage any type of response," she said.
The police will be monitoring and managing areas of Memphis as well as have beefed up their contingency staffing, Davis said, as they anticipate it is likely that people will protest after the video is released.
"We don’t want to overreact. But the reality is, is that there are individuals that may want to exercise their First Amendment right and come out and protest," the police chief added.
Family wants Nichols' death to lead to reform and a new law
Tyre Nichols' parents want the charges against the five Memphis police officers to lead to reform by way of a new law, the family's attorney, Ben Crump, said Friday.
Crump called for the creation of “Tyre’s Law” that will call upon law enforcement “to intervene when they see crimes being committed, even if those crimes are being committed by their fellow officers.”
“That would be the appropriate legacy that we give Tyre Nichols,” he said.
Nichols' stepfather calls for peaceful protests
Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said his family is “very satisfied” with the charges and with authorities for acting “very, very quickly” in the case.
He urged for residents across the nation outraged over the display of police brutality to protest peacefully.
“We want peace. We do not want any type of uproar. We don’t want any type of disturbance. We want peaceful protests,” he said.
Law enforcement agencies around the country are bracing for demonstrations as the police bodycam video of Nichols' Jan. 7 violent arrest is set to be released after 7 p.m. ET.
Don't let your children see the Nichols video, his mother says
RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, said Friday she hasn't seen all the footage of her son's arrest, but "what I’ve heard is very horrific."
"Any of you who have children, please don’t let them see it," she said during a news conference a day after five former Memphis police officers were charged with murder in her son's death.
She directed a message to the officers, saying: "You also disgraced your own families. But you know what, I'm going to pray for you and your families because at the end of the day, this shouldn’t have happened."
‘Hope that those officers get what they deserve,’ says man who accused ex-officer of 2015 jailhouse assault
One of the five former Memphis police officers accused in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols took part in beating an inmate nearly eight years ago, according to the man who made the accusation in a 2016 lawsuit.
Cordarlrius Sledge was serving a three-year sentence for aggravated assault in 2015 when two corrections officers beat him because he had a contraband cellphone, he said in an exclusive interview Wednesday from his Memphis halfway house.
Sledge, 34, said in the interview and in his suit — which was dismissed before its merits were evaluated — that Haley was one of two officers, under the supervision of a third, who came into his cellblock on May 16, 2015, to search him.
“When they came in to do one of their little random pop-in search, they called me and two other guys to the shower area to be strip-searched,” Sledge said. “They requested for me to be searched first.”
Sledge said he ran past the officers in his underwear in an attempt to get rid of the cellphone. He did not assault Haley or the other officers, nor did he knock into them as he ran, he said.
“That’s when they started punching on me,” he said. “They picked me up and slammed my head into the sink, and I blacked out.”
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