- By Aashish Vashistha
- Sat, 28 Jan 2023 07:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
THE MEMPHIS Authorities on Friday released four stunning, graphic footage of the violent encounter between a 29-year-old black man Tyre Nichols, and the five police officers who have been charged with murder for beating him to death earlier this month.
A day after all the Black police officers were charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct, and oppression, the four highly anticipated videos from police body-worn cameras and a camera installed on a utility pole were posted online.
This Tyre Nichols video should truly disgust every American. The vast majority of police are good people but Police brutality is a massive problem in this nation. Violence won’t fix this but we need Justice for Tyre from the Memphis Police.
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 28, 2023
pic.twitter.com/I2hYuTcMXj
In the video clip, Nichols can be heard screaming as cops drag him away from the driver’s seat of his car, "Damn, I didn't do anything. I am just trying to go home," then the cops ordered him to lay on his stomach and force him to the ground before hitting him with pepper spray, as reported by Reuters.
Following this Nichols escapes, scrambles to his feet and runs away down a road while being chased by officers on foot; at least one fires a stun gun at him. The legal team for the Nichols family has compared the assault to the notorious police beating of Los Angeles driver Rodney King in 1991.
In the video, the subsequent efforts of the cops can be seen trying to catch up with Nichols again and beating him. Two officers are seen holding Nichols down whereas a third officer kicks him, a fourth hits him with what seems to be a rod, and a fifth officer punches Nichols.
Nichols can be heard repeatedly screaming, "Mom! Mom!" as he struggles with the Black officers. Her mother said that her son was only about 80 yards (metres) away from his home when he was assaulted. A stretcher is also seen coming 19 minutes after the first arrival of medical emergency professionals.
Following their confrontation with Nichols on January 7 after pulling him over, the officers — all of whom were Black — had already been dismissed from the police force last Saturday. Nichols succumbed to his injuries and passed away three days later while being hospitalized.