Video of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died three days after a traffic stop by Memphis police, is set to be shared with the public by officials this Friday evening. Ahead of its release, his distraught mother and father are speaking out on his tragic death.
While speaking earlier this Friday at the city’s Mt. Olive Cathedral Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, RowVaughn Wells said she has not viewed the video “But what I’ve heard is very horrific, very horrific and any of you who have children please don’t let them see it.” She continued, “No mother, no mother, no mother should go through what I am going through right now to lose their child to the violent way that I lost my child.”
In a sit-down interview with @cnn, Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said as he spoke alongside Wells today that the footage shows Nichols “calling out” for his mother multiple times: “His last words on this Earth — ‘Mom! Mom! Mom!’ I mean he’s screaming for her,” Crump said. While speaking with Don Lemon, Wells also said the officers involved in her son’s death brought shame to the Black community.
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.
The family of Tyre Nichols and President Biden has called for peaceful protest once the bodycam video is shared with the public as it is expected to cause nationwide outrage:
“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,” Biden said in a Thursday statement. “Violence is destructive and against the law. It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.”
President Biden wea on to say,
“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.”
We will continue to keep you updated as this story develops.
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