President Biden Releases Statement On Tyre Nichols’ Case After Former Memphis Officers Are Charged In His Death: “Tyre’s Family Deserves A Swift, Full, And Transparent Investigation”
Tyre Nichols should be here today but sadly his life was tragically cut short following a violent and unnecessary arrest by five officers of the Memphis Police.
As we previously reported, Nichols, was just 29 years old when he died on Jan. 10… three days after a traffic stop by Memphis Police that ended with Nichols being severely beaten and later hospitalized with severe injuries. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy immediately asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation into the use of force by those officers. Last Friday, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith were all fired for violation of policy. Meanwhile, this Thursday, they were indicted by a grand jury and taken into police custody.
They were each charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression. So far, the bond for Haley has been set at $350,000 and $250,000 for Bean, Mills, and Smith. President Biden has released a statement on the heartbreaking incident and these latest devolving updates. He said: “Jill and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Tyre Nichols and the entire Memphis community. Tyre’s family deserves a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his death.” He continued, “As Americans grieve, the Department of Justice conducts its investigation, and state authorities continue their work, I join Tyre’s family in calling for peaceful protest. Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable. Violence is destructive and against the law. It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.”
President Biden went on today,
“Public trust is the foundation of public safety and there are still too many places in America today where the bonds of trust are frayed or broken. Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all.
We also cannot ignore the fact that fatal encounters with law enforcement have disparately impacted Black and Brown people. To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. That is why I called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to my desk. When they didn’t, I signed an executive order that included stricter use of force standards and accountability provisions for federal law enforcement, as well as measures to strengthen accountability at the state and local levels. Today, we all must re-commit ourselves to the critical work that must be done to advance meaningful reforms.
Nichols’ family has hired well-respected civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them.
The family’s legal team said Nichols was just returning to his parent’s home in Hickory Hill after taking pictures of the sunset at Shelby Farms Park. They said officers beat Nichols, who was a father and beloved family member for three minutes. They compared the encounter they compared to the 1991 Rodney King police beating in Los Angeles.
Where Is The Video And Why Hasn’t It Been Released Yet?
Video of the incident has been released by Memphis Police to the family. The City of Memphis is expected to release a video of the incident “sometime after 6 p.m. Friday,” according to reports.