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Warning: This story contains graphic images.
A lawyer for the family of a Black man who died in the hospital three days after a confrontation with the police during a traffic stop said on Friday that the video of the encounter shows it was “violent” and “disturbing on every level.”
Attorney Ben Crump said during a press conference that the recording of Tire Nichols’ Jan. 7 arrest “is appalling.”
Crump, who watched the footage hours earlier along with Nichols’ family and other lawyers, said it reminded him of the infamous video of Los Angeles police beating Rodney King.
“Sorry, this reminds us of the Rodney king video,” he said. “And unlike Rodney King, Tire didn’t survive.”
Another family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, said the beating lasted three minutes.
“He was a human pinata for these police officers,” Romanucci said.
Crump said authorities won’t release the video to the public for a week or two, but it will be released soon.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy issued a statement Monday that investigators a of their own, do not want to release the video to the public because they do not want to risk compromising the investigation.
Death by beating, family said
Nichols, a 29-year-old father, FedEx worker and avid skateboarder, died Jan. 10 at a hospital, authorities said.
Nichols was arrested after officers stopped him for reckless driving, police said.
In a news release the day after the arrest, the police department said when officers approached the vehicle, “a confrontation ensued” and Nichols fled.
According to the release, officers arrested him and “another confrontation ensued” while he was being held. Police said Nichols complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.
His family said the officer who stopped Nichols was in an unmarked vehicle and that he suffered a heart attack and kidney failure from the officer who overpowered him.
Authorities said only that Nichols had a medical emergency. Officials said the cause of death has not been determined.
5 officers involved in the arrest were fired
Memphis Police Department Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis announced Friday that five officers involved in the arrest were fired after a police investigation determined they used excessive force or failed to intervene and render aid.
Nichols’ family, protesters and activists are calling for the video to be released and for the officers to be charged with murder.
The officers were identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. All five are black.
The US Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the arrest, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether police used excessive force.
Call for peaceful protest
City and community leaders expressed concern about the possibility of civil unrest following the video’s release.
Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, said the family hopes any protests remain peaceful.
Rep. State Antonio Parkinson, Democrat of Memphis, said there that the city especially Black has been on the edge since the arrest, which he called “terrible and useless.”
“The release of the tapes may add to the pain, grief and shame we feel,” Parkinson said. “However, the need for transparency is very important in all police cases involving victims.”
Van Turner, president of the Memphis chapter of the NAACP, also acknowledged that Memphis seemed tense as they awaited the video’s release. But he praised the city and police department for taking “quick action” to fire the officer.
“We will continue to monitor and support a fair and just resolution of this matter,” Turner said. “We join the call for peaceful protests as we all strive to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent this from happening in the future.”
In a landmark legal decision, the Supreme Court of Quebec has banned arbitrary traffic stops by the police in response to a legal challenge brought by a Black man who said he had been stopped randomly by the police at least 10 times in 18 months. Experts say that could set the stage for similar challenges in Canada.
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