MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WTVF) — In four separate videos released, the footage shows five Memphis officers beating Tyre Nichols to the ground with a nightstick, tazing him and propping him back up to only hit him again.
Nichols died from his injuries three days later. Ultimately, Nichols laid on the ground for 25 minutes without police or medical personnel addressing his injuries after they stopped beating him. They bring out a gurney but didn't place Nichols on the gurney.
After the release of the video, Interstate 55 shut down going in and out of Tennessee with hundreds of protestors all over the roadway. The Shelby County District Attorney sent out a statement late Friday night explaining the video release.
"The video was released because it was important to the community and to Tyre’s family, as they want the world to be their witness and feel their pain," DA Steve Mulroy said. "But as we witness the tragic end of Tyre’s life, I also urge you to remember Tyre Nichols as his family does: with his big smile, skateboarding, and being a loving family member. The release was delayed because it was important to make sure witnesses spoke first from their memory and nothing else. As DA, I have always sought to balance out the rightful demands of the community with protecting the integrity of our investigation and prosecution."
All five now ex-officers have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault- act in concert, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
The video shows the officer pulling Nichols over, with Nichols telling the officer he didn't do anything. The officer told him to get on the "f—ing ground." Nichols told the officer he was just trying to get home. Nichols tries to run away but is tazed, although he manages to get away. Officers run after him and another starts searching his car.
Police do catch up to Nichols, and he ends up on the ground. Officers are on the scene kicking and hitting him with a nightstick. They continue to prop him up only to beat him further. Once they stop, Nichols laid on the ground with no one interacting him for close to a half hour.
The videos show his face beaten and bloodied.
Five officers fired in connection to the beating and death of Nichols have been booked into the Shelby County Jail. They have since been released on bail.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith were terminated last Friday following the death of Nichols during the traffic stop earlier in January. These are the same five officers that were terminated by the Memphis Police Department.
Second-degree murder is a class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.
A recap of what happened
On Jan. 7, 2023, Memphis Police say they pulled Tyre Nichols over for “reckless driving,” which resulted in multiple confrontations. Following the arrest, Nichols was transported to the hospital where he died three days later. He suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to an independent autopsy commissioned by attorneys representing the Nichols family.
On Friday, the Nichols' family requested that the unit that beat Nichols be disbanded.
Nichols’ family said he was beaten so badly by Memphis police that he became "unrecognizable."
On Jan. 15, the Memphis Police Department announced the officers were relieved of duty as they began an internal investigation. Five days later, the police department terminated the five officers involved. An internal investigation found the officers violated department policies for use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid.
This is a breaking new story. This will be updated throughout the night.
