What We Know About the Death of Tyre Nichols

So now we have the body camera and remote pole camera footage  from the January 7 arrest and killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after officers beat and pepper-sprayed him. The footage gives a graphic depiction of the officers overreacting and (ultimately) killing Nichols after a questionable traffic stop of the unarmed man.

Nichols is heard shouting “I didn’t do anything” as officers approach him with guns pointed at him. Officers can be heard shouting multiple obscenities at Nichols during the arrest. An officer threatens to use a Taser on Nichols, who replies to them to “stop” while he’s on the ground surrounded by officers. “Bitch, put your hands behind your back before I break you,” one officer is heard saying.

Another officer then says he is going to knock Nichols “the fuck out,” threatening more force as the young man is lying on the ground.  “You guys are really doing a lot right now. I’m just trying to go home,” Nichols told police. Officers can then be seen pepper-spraying Nichols and tasing him as he shouts again, “I’m not doing anything.”   Nichols then attempts to flee as officers are using the Taser on him and his shirt is falling off.

Police eventually catch up to Nichols, surround him and beat him while he is the on ground. He is passed around among officers who take turns punching him and pressing his body to the pavement.  The violent incident takes place in a residential neighborhood. The footage shows more cop cars eventually arriving as Nichols lies on the ground.

Nichols, a FedEx worker who was known for his love of skateboarding, told officers he was experiencing “shortness of breath,” and was hospitalized with serious injuries. He died three days after his injuries.  An independent autopsy performed at the request of the family indicated that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”  The traffic stop happened two minutes from Nichols’ home, his mother said, and he was beaten by police within 80 yards of where he lived. 

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis called the footage and beating of Nichols “incomprehensible” and said the videos are about “the same if not worse” than the images of the 1991 assault of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles.

The Memphis Fire Department has confirmed that two employees involved in the “initial patient care” of Nichols were relieved of duty pending an ongoing investigation.  Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. also said two of his department’s deputies were shown at the scene and that they had been relieved of duty pending investigation of their actions.

Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III were identified as the officers involved in Nichols’ deadly arrest.  The officers were a part of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION squad, whose name stands for Street Crimes Operation To Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The squad, introduced by Davis in 2021, is tasked with handling violent crimes in the area.

The Memphis Police Department announced that following an internal investigation, all five officers involved in Nichols’ arrest have been fired for violating department policy and practices, including those pertaining to excessive force. All five officers were charged with second-degree murder by a grand jury.   Shelby County records say the officers were additionally charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.  The officers were all released on bond. 

The Nichols family said that Tyre, an avid photographer, was out driving so he could take pictures of the sunset.  Officers initially said Nichols was pulled over for alleged reckless driving, but even Memphis police have admitted there is no evidence to substantiate that claim. The footage released only begins after police confront Nichols at an intersection at 8:24pm local time - police say the initial traffic stop was not filmed but we don't know why.

It is evident from the footage that Nichols was in distress after the beating. He writhes on the ground before being slumped up against a car, unable to properly sit up himself.  The group of officers stood around like a typical afternoon on the street, leaving Nichols lying on the ground like a piece of garbage. There are more officers on the scene than bodycams released, and we do not know if there is additional footage. Medics arrive to examine Mr Nichols at 8:41pm-- twenty minutes later a stretcher comes into view in the video and then an ambulance arrives. We don't know how long it is before Nichols was taken to hospital.

The case was handed over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. The Department of Justice and the FBI has also announced a civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death.