Tyre Nichols footage – live: Protests erupt after graphic arrest video exposes violent Memphis police beating

Bodycam footage of the deadly arrest of Tyre Nichols was released to the public today, one day after five police officers were charged with the man’s murder.

The grainy footage captures a violent confrontation between police and Nichols, where officers can be seen using fists, batons, and stun guns against him, then laughing and bragging about the arrest.

“Watch out, I’m going to baton the f*** out of you,” one officer can be heard saying on the tape.

Despite the new details in the video, an Independent initial analysis of the footage doesn’t reveal much more information about why police stopped Nichols, or the precise moment-by-moment series of events that played out between officers and the 29-year-old Black man.

Nonetheless, the shocking footage inspired widespread protests across Memphis and beyond.

Nichols died three days after his arrest. An independent autopsy released by his family shows he suffered “extensive bleeding” before his death.

On Thursday, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were all charged with second-degree murder.

Key Points

• Tyre Nichols: Video of Black man being beaten by Memphis police is released

• Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

• Tyre Nichols’ mother reveals police blocked her from seeing her dying son in hospital

• Five Memphis officers charged with second degree murder and put in jail

• Merrick Garland describes Tyre Nichols assault as ‘deeply disturbing'

• Tyre Nichols suffered ‘extensive bleeding,’ autopsy shows

Tyre Nichols six-word plea revealed as distressing footage lays bare Memphis police brutality

09:23 , Arpan Rai

Memphis officials have released disturbing police footage of the arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died in hospital three days after being violently detained during a traffic stop earlier this month.

The first part of the hour-long video showed the officers pulling over the young man, forcing him out of the vehicle and onto the floor.

One of them is heard to say: “B**ch put your hands behind your back before I break them.” An officer then threatens Nichols that “I’m going to knock your ass the f**k out.”

Footage reveals Tyre Nichols six-word plea to Memphis police officers

ICYMI: Memphis police chief says there’s ‘no proof’ Tyre Nichols should have been stopped for reckless driving

09:00 , Josh Marcus

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says there was “no proof” that Tyre Nichols had been driving recklessly prior to his arrest and fatal beating by five officers.

Ms Davis told CNN that the department had reviewed all available video footage and found there was no probable cause to warrant Nichols’ arrest.

Nichols, 29, was pulled over on 7 January for alleged reckless driving by members of the city’s police department.

Police have previously said that a “confrontation” occurred as they approached Nichols’ vehicle, and he fled on foot. He was taken into custody after a second “confrontation”, during which he received critical injuries.

Nichols, 29, died in hospital three days later.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Memphis police chief says there’s ‘no proof’ of Tyre Nichols reckless driving claim

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

07:59 , Josh Marcus

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

Gustaf Kilander reports on how we got here.

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Tyre Nichols video shows officers boasting as he lies motionless: ‘Hitting him with straight haymakers, dog’

07:51 , Arpan Rai

Video shows officers boasting about punching Tyre Nichols as he lies close to them motionless and hunched over.

After authorities released a series of videos captured by police in Memphis when they beat and kicked the 29-year-old as they detained him earlier this month, officers can be heard laughing and bragging as the young man lies on the ground next to them.

He would die in hospital several days later.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”

Read the full story here:

Tyre Nichols video shows Memphis officers boasting as he lies motionless

Just like George Floyd, Tyre Nichols called out for mother during violent police arrest

07:00 , Josh Marcus

Tyre Nichols is seen calling out for his mother after being pursued, punched and pepper-sprayed by police in Memphis newly released video.

They are later seen bragging about punching him, in footage packed with expletives.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”

Andrew Buncombe has the story.

Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

Protesters block bridge following Tyre Nichols body cam release

06:49 , Arpan Rai

Demonstrators blocked the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge in a peaceful protest against police brutality following the release of disturbing body cam footage showing the beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis officers.

The Memphis Police Department issued a traffic alert warning the public to avoid the I55 freeway in downtown Memphis following the march.

Five officers have been charged with murder after the 22-year-old was brutally beaten following a traffic stop and died three days later in hospital.

Watch the video here:

Protesters block bridge following Tyre Nichols body cam release

What has president Biden said about the Tyre Nichols video?

06:00 , Josh Marcus

President Joe Biden called a video revealing the beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers “horrific” and said it was a “painful reminder” of the fear Black and Brown Americans face regularly, while calling for peaceful demonstrations.

“Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death,” the president said in a statement. “It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”

Memphis police released the video on Friday evening of five former officers from the department beating Nichols, who died three days later. The chief of police had warned that the video showed a violation of “basic human rights.”

Eric Garcia reports from Washington.

Biden calls video of Tyre Nichols video ‘horrific’ and a ‘painful reminder’

Tyre Nichols: Police officer appears to laugh and smoke cigarette in disturbing body cam

05:44 , Arpan Rai

Memphis police officers appear to laugh and one can be seen smoking a cigarette in body cam footage released after the death of Tyre Nichols.

Mr Nichols was beaten by police following a traffic stop and died three days later in hospital.

The disturbing footage shows police officers laughing together as the 22-year-old lies slumped on the floor.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer, referring to the beating.

Watch the video here:

Tyre Nichols: Police officer appears to laugh and smoke cigarette in disturbing video

Cops who killed Nichols ‘antithesis’ of police values, says officer

05:23 , Arpan Rai

Massachusetts state police superintendent colonel Christopher Mason has called the assault by Memphis police officers on 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, that led to his death, the “antithesis” of the police’s professional values.

“From a professional viewpoint, the actions of the defendants are an offence to every police officer who embraces their calling for what it should be – a mission to serve and protect with courage and compassion. Those who killed Mr Nichols are the antithesis of those values,” the top state police officer said in a statement on Saturday, as he called for peaceful condemnation of the murder leading to Nichols’ death.

Read the full story here:

Cops who killed Tyre Nichols have ‘antithesis’ of police values, says officer

Protesters take to the streets after release of Tyre Nichols video

05:00 , Josh Marcus

Protesters have shut down parts of Interstate 55 in Memphis after the city released videos of the police beating of Tyre Nichols.

The videos were released on Friday evening and show five Memphis police officers beating Nichols, 29, during the arrest. He died from his injuries three days after the shocking incident.

The five officers, all of whom are Black, were immediately fired from the force and now face murder charges.

The protests began shortly after the video was released at 7pm ET, with a large crowd taking to I-55 in downtown Memphis headed towards the Mississippi River bridge, according to ABC24.

Graeme Massie reports.

Protests erupt in Memphis after Tyre Nichols video released

Police brag about punching Tyre Nichols in body camera video

04:00 , Josh Marcus

Video shows officers boasting about punching Tyre Nichols as he lies close to them motionless and hunched over.

After authorities released a series of videos captured by police in Memphis when they beat and kicked the 29-year-old as they detained him earlier this month, officers can be heard laughing and bragging as the young man lies on the ground next to them.

He would die in hospital several days later.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”Andrew Buncombe reports.

Tyre Nichols video shows Memphis officers boasting as he lies motionless

What we learned from the Tyre Nichols video

03:00 , Josh Marcus

Memphis officials released video on Friday showing the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was beaten by multiple police officers during a lengthy confrontation during a traffic stop.

Our team has reviewed the shocking footage.

Here’s what we learned.

Tyre Nichols pleads for help as mocking Memphis officers brutally beat him

‘Our own worst enemy’: LeBron James leads reactions after video of Tyre Nichols’ arrest released

02:15 , Josh Marcus

NBA star LeBron James was among the first to react to newly-released footage of the deadly arrest of Tyre Nichols on Friday (27 January).

James first responded “TOO FACTUAL!!!” to an MSNBC journalist’s tweet about how “we’ve failed to fully understand race and it’s construction as a *systemic tool.* The entire system of policing sees the Black body as a problem. No matter who pulls the trigger.”

Read more from Tom Murray on how people are reacting to the Tyre Nichols video.

Martin Luther King III leads condemnation after Tyre Nichols’ arrest video released

A reminder: Memphis police admitted they had ‘no proof’ of probably cause to stop Tyre Nichols

02:00 , Josh Marcus

Memphis police on Friday released horrifying video of multiple officers beating Tyre Nichols, tasing him, and hitting him with a baton during a traffic stop earlier this month.

Police initially claimed the stop was because of “reckless driving,” though MPD Cerelyn Davis admitted on Friday there was “no proof” of probably cause to stop the 29-year-old Black man in the first place.

Here’s Bevan Hurley’s report on what led up to the stop.

Memphis police chief says there’s ‘no proof’ of Tyre Nichols reckless driving claim

The ‘dangerous distraction’ of focusing on the race of the officers who arrested Tyre Nichols

01:40 , Josh Marcus

Today, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis’s department will release the video of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols being killed by five Memphis police officers. The officers reportedly arrested Nichols near his home, and when he allegedly attempted to flee, they beat him, with Nichols dying in the hospital three days later, on January 10. The footage has been described by all who have seen it as horrific and barbaric, with the Memphis Police Department timing the release of the video until the weekend to reduce public “disruption.”

The police officers who killed Nichols are Black, which has prompted many people - particularly online - to attempt to counter the idea that his death is linked to systemic racism and police brutality in the law enforcement system. Not only is this a simplistic and illogical argument, but it’s one meant to distract us from our fight. The fight against police brutality has never just been about white cops or racist cops. It’s about how the entire system encourages all those who join it - no matter what their own racial background - to dehumanize and target people of color.

All of the officers involved in Nichols’ death, who have been fired and charged with second degree murder, were members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods) unit, a type of policing associated with discriminatory stops and searches in low-income, Black and Latinx neighborhoods. Tyre Nichols’ family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, has urged the Memphis Police department to disband the unit.

Nylah Burton explores this theme further in her piece for Independent Voices.

Pointing out the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death were Black is a distraction

Memphis police officers bragged about beating Tyre Nichols, video shows

01:30 , Josh Marcus

Video shows officers boasting about punching Tyre Nichols as he lies close to them motionless and not moving.

After authortities released a series of videos captured by police in Memphis when they detained the 29-year-old earlier this month, officers can be heard laughing and bragging as the young man lies on the ground next to them.

He would die in hospital several days later.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”

Andrew Buncombe reports.

Tyre Nichols video captures officers boasting about punching him as he is motionless

What is SCORPION, the unit that arrested Tyre Nichols?

01:20 , Josh Marcus

The specialised police unit which the five Memphis police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols were part of was established with the intention of stopping serious crimes.

But now, the very future of the unit, known as SCORPION or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, is in question as lawyers and community activists call for its wholesale overhaul.

The unit, consisting of 40 officers, was set up in October 2021 and received a high-profile launch. The officers were to be split into four teams and focus on car theft, gang-related offences, and drug crimes.

On Friday, as the city prepared to release video footage of the arrest of Nichols, family lawyer Ben Crump called for the Department of Justice to investigate the unit.

Andrew Buncombe reports.

What’s the police SCORPION unit accused in killing of Tyre Nichols?

Read Joe Biden’s full statement on the Tyre Nichols video

01:10 , Josh Marcus

President Joe Biden has spoken out about the Tyre Nichols case, following the release of horrific video of the 29-year-old Black man being beaten by police.

Here’s what the president said, in full:

Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols’ family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols’ family in calling for peaceful protest.I spoke with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Mr. Nichols’ mother and stepfather, this afternoon. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father. Nothing can bring Mr. Nichols back to his family and the Memphis community. But Mr. and Mrs. Wells, Mr. Nichols’ son, and his whole family deserve a swift, full, and transparent investigation.We must do everything in our power to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all. Real and lasting change will only come if we take action to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again. That is why I called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to my desk. When Senate Republicans blocked that bill, I signed an executive order that mandated stricter use of force standards and accountability provisions for federal law enforcement, as well as measures to strengthen accountability at the state and local level.

WATCH: Protests across Memphis as video shows violent police arrest of Tyre Nichols

01:00 , Josh Marcus

Protestors have taken to the streets and the highways of Memphis to protest the brutally violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after being arrested for a supposed traffic stop.

Watch the latest from the city on The Independent’s YouTube channel.

Memphis police video shows officer kicking Nichols in head while he’s down

00:46 , Josh Marcus

The final video released by Memphis police of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols shows a shocking scene.

Officers, upon catching up to Nichols after he fled his initial arrest, eventually reach him and multiple policemen pin him to the ground.

Video from an overhead neighbourhood camera is slightly unclear, but an officer appears to kick Nichols in the head repeatedly as other officers hold his body to the pavement.

Numerous other officers look on as the scene unfolds.

Officer says Tyre Nichols reached for his gun and was on drugs

00:39 , Josh Marcus

Police body camera footage is revealing new details about the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols earlier this month, which ultimately led to the 29-year-old Black man’s death three days later.

In one section of the video, an officer claims that Nichols reached for his gun.

“He literally had his hand on my gun,” the police officer says. “That motherf***** was on there.”

Other policeman added that they thought Nichols was high on drugs, with one officer describing him as “high as a kite.”

Officers can be heard gloating and comparing stories as Tyre Nichols sits slumped against car in police video

00:35 , Josh Marcus

Police body camera footage captures Memphis police cheerfully swapping stories as Tyre Nichols sits, apparently motionless, against a police cruiser.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers,” one officer appears to say.“I jumped in, started rocking him,” another chimes in.

Throughout this conversation, which lasts for minutes, the video captures occasional scenes of Nichols lying slumped against a police car, without visible attempts to render medical aid.

Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

00:31 , Josh Marcus

Tyre Nichols is seen calling out for his mother after being pursued, punched and pepper-sprayed by police in Memphis in newly released video.

Andrew Buncombe is following the details.

Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

Tyre Nichols can be heard calling for his mother as police detain him

00:19 , Josh Marcus

Police body camera video released by Memphis police on Friday shows officers violently arresting Tyre Nichols.

Officers initially hauled Nichols out of his car and pinned him to the ground.

The 29-year-old then fled officers.

Once officers caught up to him, the footage shows, a protracted struggle ensued.

The shaky footage makes it difficult to see what’s going on, but Nichols can be heard wailing for his mother and slurring his words as multiple officers shout in his face and try to handcuff him.

“Alright, alright,” he can be heard saying, as if to surrender, though the fight continues for minutes.

“Watch out, I’ll spray your a** again,” one officer can be heard saying.

“Watch out, I’m going to baton the f*** out of you,” another says.

Tyre Smith video shows intense confrontation

00:06 , Josh Marcus

Police body camera video released by Memphis authorities shows a heated confrontation between officers and Tyre Nichols on 7 January, who later died from injuries he suffered at the hands of police.

In the video, excerpts of which are being shown now on CNN, officers can be seen screaming at Nichols as they throw him out of his car and pin him to the ground, with one policeman appearing to say, “B**** put your hands behind your back before I break them. I will knock your a** the f*** out.”

“Get on the f***ing ground,” other officers say.

Throughout the videos, which can be seen in full on the Memphis police department’s Vimeo page, Nichols insists he’s complying with officers and did nothing wrong.

“I just want to go home,” he says at one point.Nichols can be seen eventually twisting out of the grasp of officers, with officials firing a taser at him as he runs away.

Tyre Nichols: Video of Black man being beaten by Memphis police is released

00:02 , Josh Marcus

Memphis officials have released police footage of the arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died in hospital three days after being violently detained during a traffic stop earlier this month, the Associated Press reports.

Family members, city leaders, and activists harshly criticised the conduct of the officers shown in the footage, five of whom have been fired and charged with murder.

“I want to say to the five police officers that murdered my son, you also disgraced your own families when you did this,” RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, said on Friday at a press conference. “I’m going to pray for you and your families because at the end of the day, this shouldn’t have happened. This just shouldn’t have happened. We want justice for my son.”

Rodney Wells, Tyre Nichols’s stepfather, said the group of officers as well as the medics who later arrived involved showed a callous disregard for the man who had just been severly beaten.

More details in our breaking news story.

Video of Tyre Nichols being beaten by Memphis police is released

Another grim year of police killings

Friday 27 January 2023 23:58 , Josh Marcus

It would be easy to think, after a decade of Black Lives Matter activism, that police violence was finally decreasing.

Sadly, that’s not the case.

As I note in my piece for Independent Voices, 2022 was actually a record year for police killings.

Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices

Police expected to release Tyre Nichols video soon

Friday 27 January 2023 23:39 , Josh Marcus

Memphis police said they would release video of the Tyre Nichols arrest around 7pm EST.

The police footage will play a key role in the prosecution of five officers who have been charged with murder in the 29-year-old’s death.

We’ll be covering all the latest developments in the story live.

Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the whole truth

Friday 27 January 2023 23:35 , Josh Marcus

As the nation turns its attention to the death of Tyre Nichols, there’s something you need to know. In cases like these, police don’t always tell the full truth. Sometimes they seek to distract from it. Other times they flat-out lie.

This is well known to victims of police violence, civil rights organisers, and those, like me, who spend their days covering policing. But it’s an important thing to remember ahead of the Friday release of law enforcement video of Nichols’s 7 January arrest, perhaps the most explosive instance of police misconduct since George Floyd.

Here’s what I’ve learned covering the cops.

Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices

‘He was a good person’: Family of Tyre Nichols remembers loving father and son

Friday 27 January 2023 23:08 , Josh Marcus

The family of Tyre Nichols, who died in January after a violent arrest at the hands of Memphis police, want him to be remembered as a loving son and father to his 4-year-old son.

“He was a good person,” his mother, RowVaughn Wells, told CNN. “All the good in Tyre will come out and so that’s what keeps me going because I just feel like my son was sent here on assignment.”

“He had my name tattooed on his arm, and that made me proud because most kids don’t put their mom’s name, but he did,” she added.

WATCH: Joe Biden speaks with parents of Tyre Nichols

Friday 27 January 2023 22:38 , Josh Marcus

On Friday, the president called the family of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died following a violent January arrest during a traffic.

During the call, RowVaughn Wells, the young man’s mother, told the president about how her son had her name tattooed on his arm.

“That’s what you call something special,” Mr Biden replied.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Mr Biden commended the family on their courage, and shared his own experiences losing a son.

The Washington Post captured video of part of their conversation.

Backgrounder: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols

Friday 27 January 2023 22:08 , Josh Marcus

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Voices: Yes, these police videos are awful to watch but we must not look away

Friday 27 January 2023 21:40 , Josh Marcus

The video showing George Floyd being choked to death by police in Minneapolis in 2020 lasts an excruciating nine-and-a-half minutes.

The cell phone footage captured by a passer-by of Eric Garner being wrestled to the ground in Staten Island in 2014, placed in an illegal chokehold and heard to gasp “I can’t breathe” eleven times before he loses consciousness, is of a similar length.

Despite their different geographic location, and the angles at which the incidents were filmed, both pieces of footage revealed the same truth - that an unarmed Black man was being killed by the police, even as he begged for help.

The videos are ghastly, horrendous. It is impossible to watch them, or any of those like it, without feeling sick to the stomach. For when you click play, you’re essentially signing up to watch a fellow human being killed. Moreover, it is someone being killed brutally, oftentimes asking for their mother, or proclaiming their innocence. Watching these videos is not something to undertaken lightly, because the scenes can be hard to remove from your memory. They are not there for our entertainment. Yet it is essential that people do watch these videos, or at least enough of us to share what has taken place.

Read Andrew Buncombe’s column on why we ignore these shocking records of police violence.

Yes, these police videos are awful to watch but we must not look away

Biden speaks with family of Tyre Nichols

Friday 27 January 2023 21:20 , Josh Marcus

The president has spoken with the family of Tyre Nichols, according to the White House.

“During the conversation, the President commended the family’s courage and strength,” according to a pool report.

Watch: White House defends Biden on police brutality ahead of Tyre Nichols video

Friday 27 January 2023 20:57 , Josh Marcus

President Biden is defending his civil rights record on policing issues ahead of the release of the Tyre Nichols video.

Here’s what the White House had to say on Friday.

And here’s our report on Mr Biden’s wider civil rights legacy as president.

Why Joe Biden has been a ‘consistently inconsistent’ ally for civil rights so far

President Biden has been briefed on Tyre Nichols video, but hasn’t seen it: press secretary

Friday 27 January 2023 20:20 , Josh Marcus

The White House is closely monitoring the situation in Memphis, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.

“The President sent his heartfelt condolences to Tyre Nichols’s entire family, yesterday he and the First Lady,” Ms Jean-Pierre said. “He’s going to be regularly briefed as he has been. He’s going to be monitoring the situation.”

The president has been briefed on the killing of Tyre Nichols, but hasn’t watched police video of the encounter, the Biden official added.

Video: Nichols family urges people not to let children watch Tyre Nichols video

Friday 27 January 2023 20:00 , Josh Marcus

The family of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police, is urging children not to watch forthcoming video of the encounter.

“I’ve never seen the video, but what I’ve heard is very horrific,” RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, said on Friday during a press conference. “Any of you who have children, please done let ‘em see it.”

WATCH: Memphis police chief admits ‘no proof’ to initial report Tyre Nichols was driving recklessly

Friday 27 January 2023 19:40 , Josh Marcus

Memphis police have gone back on their original claim Tyre Nichols was stopped for reckless driving.

“I’m going to be honest with you about the stop itself. What was said was there was witnessing of what was considered reckless driving,” police chief Cerelyn Davis told CNN on Friday. “We’ve looked at cameras. We’ve looked at body worn cameras. Even if something occurred prior to this stop, we’ve been unable to substantiate it.”

Here’s our full report on the stop.

Why was Tyre Nichols stopped by Memphis police?

Why was Tyre Nichols stopped by Memphis police?

Friday 27 January 2023 19:20 , Josh Marcus

On Friday evening, Memphis officials plan to release video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop.

The young man’s death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has touched off a city-wide scandal.

Five Memphis police officers involved in the stop were fired last week, and now face murder charges.

Here’s what we know about the traffic stop where things began.

Why was Tyre Nichols stopped by Memphis police?

Ben Crump says ‘we can’t take their word’ in police version of Tyre Nichols death

Friday 27 January 2023 19:00 , Josh Marcus

Details remain scant about the police stop that led up to Tyre Nichols violent and fatal arrest at the hands of Memphis officers earlier this year.

“We don’t know anything other than we got to see in the video,” Ben Crump, attorney for the Nichols family, said on Friday during a press conference.

“They say he was driving recklessly. We have to see it. We certainly can’t take their word for it.”

Family of Tyre Nichols speaks out ahead of police video release

Friday 27 January 2023 18:40 , Josh Marcus

RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, said on Friday during a press conference she hasn’t been able to bring herself to watch the video of police violently arresting her son, footage which is expected to be released to the public this evening.

“I’ve never seen the video, but what I’ve heard is very horrific,” she said. “Any of you who have children, please done let ‘em see it.”

“I just want to ask for prayer for my family, for this whole community, and I want to say to the five police officers that murdered my son, you also disgraced your own familes when you did this,” she added. “I’m gunna pray for you and your families because at the end of the day, this shouldn’t have happened. This just shouldn’t have happened. We want justice for my son.”

Watch her full remarks here, via WUSA.

Tyre Nichols killing latest test of Biden Justice Department

Friday 27 January 2023 18:20 , Josh Marcus

The US Attorney for Western Tennessee is one of many authorities now probing the violent and ultimately fatal police arrest of Tyre Nichols.

The case is the latest civil rights test for the Biden Justice Department, which has made a point of cracking down on police misconduct with investigations into troubled police departments in Minneaplis and Louisville.

Here’s our in-depth report on Joe Biden’s civil rights record so far as president.

Why Joe Biden has been a ‘consistently inconsistent’ ally for civil rights so far

Four of five officers charged with murder freed from jail

Friday 27 January 2023 18:02 , Bevan Hurley

On Thursday, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were all charged with second-degree murder.

As of Friday morning, Mr Haley was the only suspect still behind bars after the other four posted bond and were released from jail.

Mr Mills and Mr Smith were released Thursday evening after each posting their $250,000 bond, according to jail records.

Mr Martin and Mr Bean were released early on Friday morning.

‘No proof’ Tyre Nichols should have been stopped for reckless driving

Friday 27 January 2023 17:30 , Bevan Hurley

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says there was “no proof” that Tyre Nichols had been driving recklessly prior to his arrest and fatal beating by five officers.

Ms Davis told CNN that the department had reviewed all available video footage and found there was no probable cause to warrant Nichols’ arrest.

Nichols, 29, was pulled over on 7 January for alleged reckless driving  by members of the city’s police department.

Police have previously said that a “confrontation” occurred as they approached Nichols’ vehicle, and he fled on foot. He was taken into custody after a second “confrontation”, during which he received critical injuries.

Nichols, 29, died in hospital three days later.

Memphis police chief says there’s ‘no proof’ of Tyre Nichols reckless driving claim

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Friday 27 January 2023 17:00 , Bevan Hurley

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis urged calm as the bodycam footage is set to be released.

“I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels,” she said in a video statement on 25 January. “I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights, as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.”

This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols:

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Merrick Garland describes Tyre Nichols assault as ‘deeply disturbing'

Friday 27 January 2023 16:26 , Bevan Hurley

Attorney General Merrick Garland has described the assault on Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers as “deeply disturbing”.

Mr Garland was speaking at a press conference at the Justice Department a short time ago, ahead of the release of bodycam footage on Friday night,

FBI director Christopher Wray said he had personally viewed the tape and said he was “appalled”.

Mr Wray said his “heart goes out” to Nichols’ family.

He added that law enforcement was prepared for any civil unrest following the release of the footage.

Memphis braces for release of video in Tyre Nichols' arrest

Friday 27 January 2023 16:04 , Bevan Hurley

Ahead of the release of the Tyre Nichols’ bodycam footage, Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis said she expected protests after the release of video showing officers’ actions.

She described the assault as “heinous, reckless and inhumane,” but she also urged the community to remain peaceful.

“I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, to demand actions and results, but we need to ensure our community is safe in this process,” she said. “None of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction on our community or against our citizens.”

Memphis braces for release of video in Tyre Nichols' arrest

Another unarmed Black man has been killed by police and his mother wants answers

Friday 27 January 2023 15:30 , Bevan Hurley

“What we can tell you about the video – it is appalling, it is deplorable, it is heinous, it is violent, it is very troublesome on every level.”

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe on the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police.

‘The video is appalling, it is deplorable’: Another Black man killed by police

Tyre Nichols’ mother reveals police blocked her from seeing her dying son in hospital

Friday 27 January 2023 15:17 , Bevan Hurley

Tyre Nichols’ mother has revealed that Memphis police prevented her from seeing her dying son in hospital.

Nichols, 29, died in Memphis, Tennessee on 10 January, of injuries sustained during his arrest three days earlier by members of the city’s police department.

His mother RowVaughn Wells told CNN that she received a call from a doctor at St Francis Hospital at 4am on the day he died to say her son’s organs were failing and to come to the hospital immediately.

“He said, ‘why aren’t you here?’ And I said, ‘the police officers said that I couldn’t come, because he was under arrest’,” Ms Wells told CNN.

Full story below.

Tyre Nichols’ mother reveals police blocked her from seeing her dying son in hospital

Tyre Nichols’ family attorneys call for an end to ‘Scorpion squads’

Friday 27 January 2023 15:00 , Bevan Hurley

Tyre Nichols’ attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci have called for an end to “saturation policing” in an open letter.

“‘Pro-active policing’ or ‘saturation unit policing,’ whether the officers are in unmarked cars wearing tactical vests or ‘jump-out boys’ in plain clothes and undercover, is defined by several common and dangerous components,” the attorneys say.

“These types of aggressive units are used in cities across the country and are intended to flood troubled areas with officers to stem high crime. But what we’ve seen this month in Memphis and for many years in many places, is that the behaviour of these units can morph into ‘wolf pack’ misconduct that takes away a person’s liberty or freedom to move, akin to a kidnapping. Officers tend to focus on Black and Brown members of the community and feel empowered to conduct “pre-textual” stops, or stops without probable cause, saying they are proactively looking for guns or drugs.  These often aggressive encounters flat out destruct trust between police and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve, but as we saw in the tragic and unnecessary death of Tyre Nichols, can also lead to physical injury or death when the culture of unchecked, pro-active policing overtakes common sense.”

Read their open letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland below.

“We have learned from reports this week that the 5 now-fired officers involved in Tyre’s death were members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION squad, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. Their mandate is to reduce violent crimes like carjacking, homicides, and aggressive assaults by flooding neighborhoods with 10-man teams. But the official cause for Tyre’s encounter with police on January 7, 2023, was a traffic stop, far outside the unit’s stated purpose of stemming violent crime. But the “why” of Tyre Nichols’s death is found in this policing culture itself, not something Tyre personally did.

“And his running in fear for his life in-between a series of beatings was an affront to the officers, who wanted to show Tyre and the city of Memphis that as a team they can take anyone down. No one escapes the Scorpions. Whatever happened to Tyre, there was a cultural mindset to it, and it’s not unique to Memphis.  From Baltimore to Chicago and D.C., units like the SCORPION unmarked cars - regardless of what the units are named - cause terror in minority communities.  In 2017, eight detectives in Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) were convicted of robbery and racketeering. In Chicago in 2004,  a similar roving unit had to be disbanded when officers were accused of robberies and home invasions. In Washington, D.C., the ACLU has testified in court about hundreds of jump-outs they call illegal and examples of racial profiling. And in Memphis just a few days before Tyre Nichols was beaten, another Black male in the same community says he was also subjected to excessive force by a group of SCORPION officers.To be fair, some “saturation patrols” do work, when they have a clear and controlled mandate like doing DUI checks - and can be effective in increasing community safety. However, the rampant and unchecked patrols taking on other crimes without oversight and transparency are where things go off the rails and officers can act with impunity in the community like a pack of wolves.RAND Corporation, a public policy think tank on their website Better Policing Toolkit is critical of what they call “zero tolerance” and aggressive policing tactics. While the Daily Memphian quotes Former Memphis Police Director Winslow “Buddy” Chapman — who is now executive director of CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County — who said such proactive initiatives can provide a public service, but they must be tightly supervised and monitored because abuse often follows.  He went on to say, “I think that one of the reasons minorities, impoverished people, people on the fringes of society, are frequently the victims of excessive use of force by police is that because let’s face it, it’s easier to get away with,” said Chapman, who served as police director from 1976 to 1983. 

“Together we are calling for national change in this type of policing. We ask that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice  (DOJ) begin an investigation into cities that use these tactics and determine if they are effective in reducing crime and ask for all data on injuries and deaths related to “saturation patrols” as well as a compilation of complaints from citizens.

“Further, we ask for the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the professional organization of police executives representing the largest cities in the United States and Canada, to join DOJ in this analysis. The group’s stated mission is to address the challenges and issues of policing. President of the Board, Edgardo (Eddie) Garcia, who is also police chief of the Dallas Police Department, we ask that you take on this challenge to improve policing and community trust nationwide. Now.We insist on reform, transparency, and better oversight of these “saturation” units, or for their removal as a tactic in American policing. Our communities will be far better for it.”

When will the Tyre Nichols body camera video be released?

Friday 27 January 2023 14:30 , Bevan Hurley

Tyre Nichols, 29, died in Memphis, Tennessee on January 10 just three days after being arrested by members of the city’s police department. Now, residents are still waiting to see the body camera footage of the arrest that seemingly led to the death.

On Wednesday, Memphis Police Chief Cherelyn Davis said the footage would be released on Friday at 6pm EST.

The video is expected to be approximately an hour long and was has been redacted in some parts.

She said the upcoming release of police body camera footage from the night of 7 January would likely make watchers feel “outraged by the disregard for basic human rights.”

Full story below.

When will the Tyre Nichols body camera arrest video be released?

‘A failing of basic humanity’: How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Friday 27 January 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis urged calm as the bodycam footage is set to be released.

“I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels,” she said in a video statement on 25 January. “I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights, as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.”

This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols:

How five police officers were charged with the ‘heinous’ murder of Tyre Nichols

Four of five officers charged with murder freed from jail

Friday 27 January 2023 13:15 , Rachel Sharp

On Thursday, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were all charged with second-degree murder.

As of Friday morning, Mr Haley was the only suspect still behind bars after the other four posted bond and were released from jail.

Mr Mills and Mr Smith were released Thursday evening after each posting their $250,000 bond, according to jail records.

Mr Martin and Mr Bean were released early on Friday morning.

Video to be released today

Friday 27 January 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Bodycam footage of the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols will finally be released to the public today, one day after five police officers were charged with the Black man’s murder.

Memphis officials plan to release the video on Friday evening, with the police chief warning that people will see for themselves how the officers showed a “disregard for basic human rights”.

Nichols’ family was shown the footage in private on Monday.

Understand your city’s record on police violence with this tool

Friday 27 January 2023 11:50 , Josh Marcus

Hello readers, this is Josh Marcus. I cover policing and civil rights for The Independent.

One of the tools I come back to again and again in my work is the Mapping Police Violence database.

It offers easy-to-use data tools that unpack how police departments across the country use lethal force, and whether those patterns are racially skewed.

As Americans learn more about the case of Tyre Nichols, it’s only a natural next step to ask about the Memphis Police Department’s larger record when it comes to using force.

As the database makes clear, Memphis police overwhelmingly use lethal force against Black people, who are 1.5 times more likely to die at the hands of police in the city as white people.

As we as a country continue to have discussions about police violence, it’s always a useful starting point to have clear information about what that police violence actually looks like on the ground.

Voices: Pointing out that the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death were Black is a dangerous distraction

02:13 , Josh Marcus

If anything, the fact that the officers who beat Nichols were Black themselves should prove to us that this fight is even more urgent, that change needs to be even more radical. This is not a problem that can be reformed, that can be chipped away with initiatives like diverse hiring practices or racial sensitivity training or body cameras. The law enforcement system in our country is rotten and evil. Defunding the police and prison abolition are the only paths forward that offer any kind of moral clarity, any kind of hope for freedom. Black people have suffered so many indignities and cruelties at the hands of this racist state, for centuries. No matter what race the foot soldiers are, the system is irredeemable and must be dismantled.

Nylah Burton has more in her full column.

Pointing out the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death were Black is a distraction

ICYMI: ‘Black America’s Attorney General’ Ben Crump on 25 years of fighting racial injustice

Friday 27 January 2023 10:50 , Josh Marcus

Who is Ben Crump, the noted civil rights attorney fighting for the family of Tyre Nichols.

Last year, Independent race correspondent Nadine White sat down with “Black America’s Attorney General” to find out.

‘Black America’s Attorney General’ on 25 years of fighting racial injustice

WATCH: Shocking police footage shows violent arrest of Tyre Smith

02:10 , Josh Marcus

Memphis officials released the much-anticipated police body camera footage of Tyre Nichols’s violent arrest earlier this month.

The video shows officers repeatedly punch, baton, and tase the 29-year-old Black man.

Fire department in Memphis under scrutiny for Tyre Nichols death

Friday 27 January 2023 09:50 , Josh Marcus

Two Memphis Fire Department employees have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation into the death of a Black man after a violent arrest that led to the firing of five police officers.

The employees were involved in the initial patient care of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Fire Department said in a statement.

Memphis police officers beat Nichols on Jan. 7 for three minutes, treating him like “a human piñata” in a “savage” encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King, attorneys for his family said Monday after the family saw police video.

More details in our full story.

2 fire dep't employees removed amid investigation into death

Officer in Tyre Nichols case had record of misconduct

Friday 27 January 2023 08:50 , Josh Marcus

There may have been warning signs.

In the wake of the death of 29-year-old Tennessee father Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop, five officers of the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts. One of them has now been revealed to have been sued for allegedly beating a prison inmate unconscious in 2016.

The officers stand accused of beating Mr Nichols so severely on 7 January that he died in hospital three days later.

Officer Demetrius Haley was one of three corrections officers accused in an April 2016 lawsuit filed in a US District Court in Tennessee to have assaulted inmate Cordarlrius Sledge, who was imprisoned in Shelby County at the time.

Sledge filed the lawsuit without an attorney, and it was dismissed in 2018 by a judge who found that he didn’t correctly serve one of the defendants with a summons, NBC News reported.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Officer fired over Tyre Nichols death was sued for beating prison inmate unconscious

The other Tyre Nichols investigation

Friday 27 January 2023 07:50 , Josh Marcus

Officials beyond Memphis are investigating the death of Tyre Nichols.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday the federal investigation into the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police, “may take some time.”

Speaking during a news conference, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said his office is working with the Justice Department‘s Civil Rights Division in Washington as it investigates the case of Nichols, who died three days after his Jan. 7 arrest.

Ritz said he has met with Nichols’ family. He did not take questions during the news conference.

“As I told Mr. Nichols’ family, our federal investigation may take some time. These things often do,” Ritz said. “But we will be diligent, and we will make decisions based on the facts and the law.”

More details in this full report.

Feds: Investigation into Tyre Nichols' death may take time

Local officials tear into fired officers for ‘inhumane’ Tyre Nichols stop

Friday 27 January 2023 06:50 , Josh Marcus

The Memphis police chief has called the actions of five officers involved in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols “heinous, reckless and inhumane” and made a plea to residents of the city to protest peacefully when video of the arrest is released to the public.

“This is not just a professional failing. This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual,” Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said in a video statement that was released late Wednesday on social media.

The five Black officers found to be “directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols,” who also was Black, were fired last week, but Davis said other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy. An addition, she said “a complete and independent review” will be conducted of the department’s specialized units, without providing further details.

Andrian Sainz and Rebecca Reynolds have the story.

Chief: Officers actions in Tyre Nichols arrest 'inhumane"

Memphis is on edge ahead of Tyre Nichols video release

Friday 27 January 2023 05:50 , Josh Marcus

Authorities in Memphis, Tennessee, are preparing for intense public blowback as they prepare to release “heinous” police body camera footage depicting the events that led to the death of Tyre Nichols.

Mr Nichols, 29, died three days after Memphis police pulled him over for alleged reckless driving on 7 January. A pair of “confrontations” occurred, according to the police, that resulted in Mr Nichols complaining of shortness of breath and requiring hospitalisation. He died in the hospital three days later.

Evidence from an autopsy commissioned by Mr Nichols’ family and their attorney found that Mr Nichols had suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”

Mr Nichols’ family and supporters demanded transparency from the city in its investigation of the death. Now it seems that transparency is on its way, and backlash is likely to follow.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Memphis braces for release of Tyre Nichols’ police bodycam footage

‘When you see the video, you’ll see why he was scared for his life'

Friday 27 January 2023 04:50 , Josh Marcus

The alleged police killing of Tyre Nichols is both familiar and uniquely horrifying.

He’s another young Black man whose life was cut short by police, though the particular nature of his death – at the hands of five officers, right near his family’s home – stands out even in a country where such encounters are shockingly routine.

Andrew Buncombe explores the case in this piece for our Voices section.

‘The video is appalling, it is deplorable’: Another Black man killed by police

The Tyre Nichols video could change everything

Friday 27 January 2023 03:50 , Josh Marcus

Tyre Nichols, 29, died in Memphis, Tennessee on January 10 just three days after being arrested by members of the city’s police department. Now, residents are still waiting to see the body camera footage of the arrest that seemingly led to the death.

On Wednesday, Memphis Police Chief Cherelyn Davis said the footage would be released on Friday at 6pm EST.

The video is expected to be approximately an hour long and was has been redacted in some parts.

She said the upcoming release of police body camera footage from the night of 7 January would likely make watchers feel “outraged by the disregard for basic human rights.”

Abe Asher has more.

When will the Tyre Nichols body camera footage be released?

ICYMI: Tyre Nichols killing: Five Memphis police officers arrested on charges of second degree murder

Friday 27 January 2023 02:50 , Josh Marcus

Five former Memphis police officers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after having multiple “confrontations” with the law enforcement officials during a routine traffic stop. Prosecutor Steve Mulroy said that “the world is watching us and we need to show the world what lessons we can learn from this tragedy,” noting that the charges — and forthcoming public release of police bodycam footage of the incident — would be a step in that direction.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — all former Memphis Police Department officers — have been charged with second-degree murder. The officers were fired last week after an investigation into Mr Nichols’ death.

Mr Nichols was pulled over on 7 January for reckless driving but ended the night in a hospital following “confrontations” with the police. He died three days later.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Five Memphis police officers arrested over Tyre Nichols killing

Police on alert nationwide ahead of release of Tyre Nichols video

Friday 27 January 2023 01:50 , Josh Marcus

Police departments across the country have been preparing all week for the potential fallout of the release of police video showing the fatal Memphis arrest of Tyre Nichols.

The Memphis police department began preparing on Monday for the video’s Friday release, CBS News reported, while the Washington DC police force has fully activated all of its officers and New York has placed its police on heightened alert.

Lawyer for arrested officer claims there’s ‘always more to the story'

Friday 27 January 2023 01:20 , Josh Marcus

Lawyers for the former Memphis police officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols say the case is more complicated than early reports painting it as a transparent case of police excessive force.

“There is no way, no one out there that night intended Tyre Nichols to die. No one. No one,” attorney Bill Massey, who represents former officer Emmitt Martin, said during a Thursday news conference. “It’s shocking to the officers. I would just imagine police officers have a very difficult and dangerous job, and sometimes a thankless job. And it’s probably one of their worst fears that something like this would happen on their watch.”

“There is always more to the story and we are always as defense lawyers up against the fact that the state goes first, the state gets out ahead of us and releases the information and start painting defendants in a negative light and so we are always playing catchup,” Blake Ballin, who represents another officer, Desmond Mills Jr, added, ABC 24 reports.

Tyre Nichols video ‘must be awful’ to inspire such condemnation from officials

Friday 27 January 2023 00:50 , Josh Marcus

On Friday, Memphis officials plan to release police video footage of the violent and ultimately fatal arrest of Tyre Nichols.

To an unusual degree in such casese, virtually every public official who has described the contents of the video has condemned the police officers’ actions in extremely strong terms, as legal commentator Elie Mystal notes.

“This Memphis video of the lynching of Tyre Nichols must be awful,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “Basically everybody who has seen it is like ‘Please don’t riot when you see this like you probably should.” I’ve never seen a reaction like that.’”

Tribute video remembers Tyre Nichols’s passion for skateboarding

Friday 27 January 2023 00:20 , Josh Marcus

The family of Tyre Nichols is planning to hold a vigil on Thursday night at a Memphis skatepark, honouring the deceased 29-year-old’s longtime passion for skateboarding.

Earlier this week, the family released a compilation video showing Nichols doing what he loved most.

WATCH: Memphis officials express horror and outrage as they announce charges for officers who arrested Tyre Smith

Thursday 26 January 2023 23:50 , Josh Marcus

Five former Memphis police officers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after having multiple “confrontations” with the law enforcement officials during a routine traffic stop. Prosecutor Steve Mulroy said that “the world is watching us and we need to show the world what lessons we can learn from this tragedy,” noting that the charges — and forthcoming public release of police bodycam footage of the incident — would be a step in that direction.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — all former Memphis Police Department officers — have been charged with second-degree murder. The officers were fired last week after an investigation into Mr Nichols’ death.

Mr Nichols was pulled over on 7 January for reckless driving but ended the night in a hospital following “confrontations” with the police. He died three days later.

Read Graig Graziosi’s full story on what happens next.

Five Memphis police officers arrested over Tyre Nichols killing

Who is Rodney King, the police brutality victim inspiring comparisons with Tyre Nichols

Thursday 26 January 2023 23:20 , Josh Marcus

Critics are comparing the recent fatal arrest of Tyre Nichols to the infamous mistreatment and violence Rodney King experienced at the hands of Los Angeles police in the 1990s.

Here’s what you need to know King’s story.

What caused the LA riots of 1992?

Three decades after beating of Rodney King - his daughter is still fighting for real change

Is the Memphis Fire Department in the Tyre Nichols case?

Thursday 26 January 2023 23:00 , Josh Marcus

Two Memphis Fire Department employees have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation into the death of a Black man after a violent arrest that led to the firing of five police officers.

The employees were involved in the initial patient care of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Fire Department said in a statement.

Memphis police officers beat Nichols on Jan. 7 for three minutes, treating him like “a human piñata” in a “savage” encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King, attorneys for his family said Monday after the family saw police video.

More details in our full story.

2 fire dep't employees removed amid investigation into death

Feds: Investigation into Tyre Nichols' death may take time

Thursday 26 January 2023 22:40 , Josh Marcus

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday the federal investigation into the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police, “may take some time.”

Speaking during a news conference, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said his office is working with the Justice Department‘s Civil Rights Division in Washington as it investigates the case of Nichols, who died three days after his Jan. 7 arrest.

Ritz said he has met with Nichols’ family. He did not take questions during the news conference.

“As I told Mr. Nichols’ family, our federal investigation may take some time. These things often do,” Ritz said. “But we will be diligent, and we will make decisions based on the facts and the law.”

Adrian Sainz reports.

Feds: Investigation into Tyre Nichols' death may take time

Why the Tyre Nichols killing is ‘uniquely appalling'

Thursday 26 January 2023 22:20 , Josh Marcus

“What we can tell you about the video – it is appalling, it is deplorable, it is heinous, it is violent, it is very troublesome on every level.”

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump insisted the entire nation will soon get to see for itself the video footage of the arrest that led to the death – a few days later – of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols following a traffic stop.

For now, we have been left with those words, and another powerful, jolting connection, that the footage reminded Crump of the video of the notorious 1991 police beating of Rodney King.

As Crump pointed out, King did survive the beating at the hands of white police officers in Los Angeles three decades ago.

Tyre, allegedly assaulted by up to five Black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was shocked, pepper sprayed, and treated like “a human piñata”, did not. After days and days of public pressure, the officers were charged with second degree murder.

There is so much that is uniquely appalling about the death of the young father after the traffic stop on 7 January, a few hundred metres from home.

Read Andrew Buncombe’s full opinion piece on the Tyre Nichols murder.

‘The video is appalling, it is deplorable’: Another Black man killed by police

Fired Memphis police officers were part of ‘SCORPION’ Unit

Thursday 26 January 2023 22:00 , Josh Marcus

The five former Memphis officers charged with murder for the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols earlier this month were members of a special unit called SCORPION, the Daily Memphian reports.

The unit used data to identify crime hotspots and apply extra police patrols.

Memphis officials say an independent review of the unit will take place as part of the investigation into the death of Nichols.

Such “predictive policing” strategies have been criticised for creating excessive police contact between people of colour and police, exacerbating racist patterns in the justice system.

“We took bad data in the first place, and then we used tools to make it worse,” Katy Weathington, who studies algorithmic bias at the University of Colorado Boulder, told the MIT Technology Review. “It’s just been a self-reinforcing loop over and over again.”

Police violence in Memphis, by the numbers

Thursday 26 January 2023 21:44 , Josh Marcus

Memphis police have a record of disproportionately killing people of colour like Tyre Nichols, according to data.

Of the nearly 30 people killed by police in the city since 2013, twenty of them have been Black or Hispanic, according to the Mapping Police Violence database.

Vigil planned for Tyre Nichols at skatepark

Thursday 26 January 2023 21:24 , Josh Marcus

A vigil for Tyre Nichols is planned for Thursday evening, his family announced.

The event will take place at Tobey Skatepark.

Nichols, 29, was an avid skateboarder before dying from injuries suffered during a January police stop.

The vigil aims to “celebrate the life of Tyre,” the family told The Independent in a statement.

‘He’s fighting’: Audio reveals new details in Tyre Nichols arrest

Thursday 26 January 2023 21:00 , Josh Marcus

Police dispatch audio has revealed new details about the fatal arrest of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.

In the tape, obtained by CBS News, an officer can be heard frantically saying, “We’re pursuing on foot.”

In another section, a dispatcher says, “He’s fighting at this time.”Officials have kept many of the details of the stop confidential, in advance of five murder prosecutions against the officers involved, and the expected release of police body camera footage of the incident on Friday evening.

However, they have described that two physical altercations took place between officers and Nichols during a traffic stop of some kind.

Tyre Nichols video will be released Friday evening

Thursday 26 January 2023 20:48 , Josh Marcus

On Friday evening, Memphis officials plan to release explosive police footage of officers violently detaining 29-year-old Black man Tyre Nichols.

Five officers have been charged with murder for the brutal tactics used in the fatal arrest.

The video is expected to last about an hour and contain some redactions.

Previously, videos of police killings such as that of George Floyd in Minneapolis have triggered large-scale protest.

An in-depth look at the Tyre Nichols scandal

Thursday 26 January 2023 20:30 , Josh Marcus

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols.

Gustaf Kilander has this in-depth report on everything you need to know about the Tyre Nichols case.

‘Reminded us of Rodney King’: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols

‘The world is watching’ Memphis, prosecutor says

Thursday 26 January 2023 20:13 , Josh Marcus

Memphis officials announced a raft of charges, including murder, against five former officers who arrested Tyre Nichols during a violent police stop earlier this month. “The world is watching us and we need to show the world what lessons we can learn from this tragedy,” Shelby County district attorney Steven Mulroy said on Thursday. “We all want the same thing,” he added. “We want justice for Tyre Nichols.”David Rausch, director of the Tennesse Bureau of Investigation, which is helping investigate the incident, said he was “sickened” by the conduct he saw in the video of the police stop, which did “not at all reflect proper policing.”

“We are here to pursue truth and justice, realising we should not be here,” the director said. “Simply put, this shouldn’t have happened.”“I am grieved, and frankly I am shocked– I am sickened by what I saw,” he added.

WATCH: Memphis officials provide update on Tyre Nichols murder

Thursday 26 January 2023 20:04 , Josh Marcus

Memphis officials are offering more information on the five officers charged in relation to Tyre Nichols’s death at the hands of police.

Watch here via YouTube.

Officials to provide update on Tyre Nichols murder investigation

Thursday 26 January 2023 19:53 , Josh Marcus

Shelby County officials are expected to provide an update on the investigation into the murder of Tyre Nichols, following a violent police stop earlier this month in Memphis.

The press conference, which will feature Shelby County District Attorney likely discussing charges against five officers fired over the incident, will take place at 3pm EST.

We’ll be covering all the developments live.

Mugshots show Memphis officers charged with murder in Tyre Nichols case

Thursday 26 January 2023 19:35 , Josh Marcus

New mugshots show the five former Memphis police officers who have been charged with murder following the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, which likely led to his death days later.

The officers are as follows: Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith.Here are their mugshots, obtained by KATN via records from Shelby County Jail.

Who is Ben Crump, the lawyer representing the family of Tyre Nichols?

Thursday 26 January 2023 19:20 , Josh Marcus

Influential civil rights lawyer Ben Crump is working with the family of Tyre Nichols as they seek justice for the death of their son.

In December, the Independent’s Nadine White sat down with the man dubbed “Black America’s Attorney General” for an in-depth interview.

‘Black America’s Attorney General’ on 25 years of fighting racial injustice

More officers under investigation in Tyre Nichols case: report

Thursday 26 January 2023 19:05 , Josh Marcus

In addition to five officers who have already been fired in relation to the Tyre Nichols case, even more police are under investigation for the 29-year-old’s death, Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis announced on Wednesday.

The investigation will also include an independent review of the department’s special units, to which the original five officers involved in the stop belonged, the Daily Memphian reports.

Here’s what you need to know about the case.

‘Reminded us of Rodney King’: Everything we know about the death of Tyre Nichols