Fatal beating by police in Memphis similar to attack on Rodney King
2023.01.24 13:58
Fatal beating by police in Memphis similar to attack on Rodney King
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney, said after viewing the police bodycam recording with the man’s family on Monday that the video of Memphis police beating a Black man who died after a traffic stop on January 7 reminded him of the assault on Rodney King.
On January 10, Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father of a boy who is now four years old, passed away in the hospital from injuries he sustained during his arrest by five officers, all of whom have since been let go.
He was defenseless throughout. “He was a human pinata for those police officers,” Crump’s co-counsel, attorney Antonio Romanucci, told reporters.
“For three minutes, it was a continuous, unadulterated, and unreserved beating of this young boy. “There were multiple uses of force against him,” he added, “that is what we saw in that video.”
The attorneys stated that the bodycam video would be made available to the public by local, state, and federal investigators within a week or two. In addition to Memphis police and the Shelby County District Attorney, the incident is under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, FBI, and Justice Department.
After conducting an investigation, the police department came to the conclusion that the officers had broken a number of policies, including not intervening, providing assistance, and using excessive force.
Crump stated that the video brought to mind the iconic 1991 video of Los Angeles police beating King, which sparked violent protests and department reforms.
Crump, who has previously represented the families of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin, stated, “Regrettably, it reminded us of (the) Rodney King video.” Sadly, Tyre did not survive, unlike Rodney King.
Crump stated that Nichols’s three calls for his mother were the last words recorded on the video.
When they killed him, they were less than 73 meters (less than 80 yards) away. RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, responded, “Yes, I say murder.”
Nichols was, according to those who knew him, an accomplished skateboarder who had recently enrolled in a photography class and returned home to his mother during his FedEx (NYSE:) lunch break.
“My son was not drug-free. He did not carry any weapons. Confrontation bothered him. Nothing at all. “This is why it is so difficult,” she stated.
Chief Cerelyn Davis stated that Memphis police are cooperating.
She stated, “Transparency continues to be a priority in this incident, and a premature release (of the video) could have a negative impact on the criminal investigation and the judicial process.”
According to WREG television, the fact that all of the involved officers were Black made the incident even more hurtful.
Crump stated that the race of the citizen, not the race of the officers involved, tends to be the determining factor in the amount of excessive force used in these instances.
The former officers were identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith by Memphis police on Friday. Between two and a half and five years, each had worked in the department.
Memphis, a city of 630,000 people who are 65% Black, saw several days of protests and calls for “Justice for Tyre” after a photo of a bloodied, intubated Nichols was made public.
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