Memphis, Tenn. ( Associated Press) – Memphis officials released footage Friday of more than an hour of the violent beating of Tyr Nichols by five police officers, in which the officers grabbed the motorist and beat him repeatedly while he ran to his mother. was shouting
The video surfaced a day after the officers, all black, were charged with murder in the death of Nichols, also black.
The footage showed police brutally beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes, while shouting obscenities at him during the attack. The Nichols family legal team compared the attack to the infamous police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1991.
In the video, an officer is heard threatening to kill Nichols. His body camera shows him raising a baton as at least one other officer holds Nichols down.
After the first officer pulled Nichols out of his car, he is heard saying, “I didn’t do nothing,” as the group of officers began to pin him to the ground.
“Get on the floor,” one officer yells, while another is heard shouting, “Taser him.”
Shortly after being pushed to the ground, Nichols calmly replies: “Well, I’m on the ground.” Moments later, as the officers continue to yell, Nichols says, “Man, I’m on the ground.”
An officer yells, “Put your hands behind your back before I break your (derogatory) one.” Moments later, an officer yells, “Put your hands behind your back before I break them.”
“I’m just trying to get home,” Nichols told him at one point.
The camera blacks out briefly and then Nichols can be seen running away as an officer. The agents then begin pursuing Nichols.
After the beating, the officers grappled for several minutes as Nichols leaned against the front of the car and then fell to the road.
Cities across the country are gearing up for massive demonstrations. Nichols’ relatives urged his supporters to protest peacefully.
“This young man was, by definition of the law in this state, intimidated. by not one, not two, but five agents who we now know … acted in concert,” said Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing the Nichols family. did.
Romanucci said, “the authorities acted together … to cause harm, terrorism, oppression of freedom, suppression of constitutional rights, leading to murder”.
Memphis Police Director Cerelin Davis described the officers’ actions as “disgusting, reckless and inhumane,” saying her department has been unable to prove the reckless driving charge that led to the arrest.
Given the potential for protests, Davis explained to ABC that she and other local officials decided it would be best to release the video late after school was over and people were home from work.
Court records showed that five former officers—Taddarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith—were arrested. Four were released after posting bail.
Each officer faces charges of second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, misconduct and harassment.
Under Tennessee law, second degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.
