Five police officers have been charged with first degree murder after they smashed pictures of Nichols, 29, in Memphis, USA.
On Saturday, local authorities in Memphis, in the United States, released a video showing the killing of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a police officer.
The video has been waiting for over a week and authorities in the US have braced for the possibility that it could lead to riots – because the content is outrageous and the US has a blazing history of police violence.
President Joe Biden offered his condolences Friday to Nichols’ family and called in a statement for “serious reforms” and for police officers who violate the rights of others to be held accountable.
– I was outraged, like so many others, to see the horrific video of the violence that caused Nichols’ death, says Rev.
The Nichols family deserve a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation, says Biden.
The video shows a frightened Nichols being pulled from the car by police officers.
– I didn’t do anything, says Nichols, because he is lying on the floor.
Soon after, he managed to escape. A confrontation occurs when he is arrested.
Police stopped Nichols in a car three weeks ago, on January 7, about 100 meters from his mother’s house. The family’s lawyer said he was taking pictures of the sunset in a park.
Police explained that he was pulled over on suspicion of dangerous driving, but so far no evidence of this has been found in surveillance videos from the area.
The video is approximately one hour long and consists of body cameras and close-up surveillance cameras.
Among other things, Nichols is pepper sprayed, shot with a taser and beaten.
The most violent part is three minutes long, where Nichols is constantly being bullied.
The video shows four policemen punching and kicking Nichols, but he was pushed onto the asphalt in a residential area where police found him after escaping.
After the first aggression, Nichols can be seen sitting leaning against a police car. This part is without sound, and originates from a neighborhood surveillance camera.
Nichols tries to stay seated, but falls to the side several times, without receiving any medical attention. Then his hands and arms are tied behind him.
After only six or seven minutes, Nichols appears to be receiving medical attention.
The same situation was also filmed by police cameras with sound.
Police are also shown trying to overpower the 29-year-old as Nichols shouts: “Mom!”
Prosecutors said Nichols died in hospital three days later of his injuries. The exact cause of death has not been announced.
He left behind a four-year-old son.
The United States has a long and inflamed history of police brutality. Police in the United States kill people much more often than they do in comparable countries, according to many analytics.
Black Americans are also overrepresented in crime statistics, in US prisons, and among those killed by the police.
This means that America’s history of racial discrimination often becomes part of the discussion about police violence.
In the case of Nichols, the picture is complicated by the fact that all police officers are also black – as are nearly two-thirds of Memphis residents.
Read more: In fact, its review of the numbers behind police killings in the United States as of 2020.
They have brought shame upon their families. They have brought shame upon the black community [i USA]Nichols’ mother reported after the murder.
She called for a peaceful demonstration. And in an interview with CNN Thursday, her mother broke down in tears, before saying:
– People have tried to say that we are only looking for white police. this is not true. We don’t care what color they are. We want bad cops removed from the police force.
The family’s message was repeated at a press conference on Friday.
The five police officers against have been temporarily released BailBailBail means paying a larger sum of money in exchange for the accused being released from custody while the case is pending. If the accused does not appear in court as agreed or otherwise breaches the bail agreement, that person loses money.. They’ve been fired and accused of several things, the most serious deliberatedeliberateIntentionally means that the killing was done intentionally. In homicide cases, a distinction is made between negligent (killing a person without intending to do so), willful (killing a person on purpose) and premeditated (that the killing was also planned). killing.
Two of the accused have already pleaded not guilty.
“No one intended that night for Nichols’ pictures to die,” the advocate says to one.
Attorney General Steve Mulroy, who is in charge of the investigation, said for his part that “there will be no private discussion of whether or not there was a lawful use of violence in this case” and that the video leaves little room for doubt or uncertainty.
Mulroy explained to the TV channel on Friday to CBS The option to tell us first that there is a video of the incident – but wait until you post the video itself.
He explained that it was a matter of preparing residents for the content and giving community leaders the opportunity to ensure that any protests subsided.
The video is only released after schools and most shops in town close for the evening.
“There is scope for protests if residents feel the need for them, but we hope the protests will be – we are confident they will be – peaceful,” Mulroy tells CBS.
He asks to close the police group
The officers accused of the murder were part of a special group in the police working with organized crime.
On Friday, attorneys for the Nichols family requested that the unit be closed. Because the unit received several complaints against it for excessive use of force, the attorneys also declared a civil suit.
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