UPDATE: The video have been released. The videos can be found by clicking here.
NewsChannel 5 has obtained a letter sent by the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association to the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) notifying law enforcement agencies that videos relating to the arrest of Tyre Nichols will be made public on Friday.
Tyre Nichols died on January 10, following a confrontation with Memphis Police on January 7. He suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to an independent autopsy commissioned by attorneys representing the Nichols family.
NEWS ALERT: @AttorneyCrump and @TonyRomanucci have issued a statement on preliminary findings in the independent autopsy of Tyre Nichols, who died after an encounter with Memphis police. pic.twitter.com/5SascqAWxO
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) January 24, 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. Nichols’ family said he was beaten so badly by Memphis police that he became "unrecognizable."
Below is the letter sent by Jeff Bledsoe, President of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association to Jonathan Thompson, National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director/CEO.
The letter reads:
Director Thompson,
At the request of Shelby County TN. Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. I send this correspondence. Sheriff Bonner in consultation with Memphis PD Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, request to notify our nations sheriffs via NSA, of the upcoming timeline. It is anticipated the videos from the use of force will be released publicly on Friday January 27, 2023 in the afternoon hours.
Due to the nature of the video’s contents it is believed it may spark responses outside of the traditional protest. There is a public safety risk potential to communities and peace officers expanding outside of the Shelby County (Memphis) TN. area.
The family of Tyre Nichols (deceased) met with officials and viewed the video yesterday with a press conference following the meeting. We anticipate an update on the investigation and any judicial proceedings this week as well. The incident involved five officers, and all five officers were terminated last week.
Respectfully,
Jeff
The Memphis 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.
On Monday, police and city officials met with the family to let them view the arrest video.
“He was defenseless the entire time. He was a human piñata for those police officers. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes,” said attorney Antonio Romanucci.
U.S Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee held a news conference in Memphis Wednesday morning and provided an update on the status of their civil rights investigation.
See transcript below:
“Last week, we announced that the United States had opened a federal civil rights investigation into the circumstances leading to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols. Earlier this week, I had the privilege of meeting with Mr. Nichols's mother, father, grandmother and aunt. I had the privilege of hearing from them about Tyre, a young man who enjoyed skateboarding, Starbucks and sunsets at Shelby Farms. I would like to share with the community what I told Mr. Nichols's family. What I said was that the Department of Justice cares deeply about potential violations of constitutional rights here in Memphis and throughout America. I said, we have opened a criminal civil rights investigation. I told them this federal civil rights investigation will be thorough, it will be methodical, and it will continue until we gather all the relevant facts. As with any other federal investigation, we will go where those facts take us. I delivered that message to them and I want this community to hear that message as well. As I told Mr. Nichols's family: our federal investigation may take some time. These things often do, but we will be diligent and we will make decisions based on the facts and the law. My office is working hand in hand with the Civil Rights Division in Washington, as well as the FBI and other law enforcement partners. Our team includes very experienced federal prosecutors from our office here in Memphis. It includes very experienced FBI agents from the FBI Memphis field office. And it includes a very experienced attorney from the Civil Rights Division. We have been in constant, very constructive communication with the Shelby County district attorney, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies about this case. I'm thankful for that, and I expect that will continue. Finally, I know there is significant public interest in the release of the video that was shown to Mr. Nichols's family. The state and local authorities have responsibility for determining when to release video from this incident to the public. What I will say on behalf of the federal authorities is we want people to express their right to be heard, but we want them to do so in a peaceful and nonviolent way. I'll close by saying that I grew up in this city and I care deeply about this city. I want this city to be a place where justice is done. The United States is committed to following the facts and the law guided by principles of justice every step of the way. Thank you for your time this morning.”
