Who is Tyre Nichols and why was he pulled over?

On Friday night, Memphis officers launched video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely crushed throughout a visitors cease.

The younger man’s loss of life has precipitated deep ache for the Nichols household, and has touched off a city-wide scandal.

5 Memphis cops concerned within the cease have been fired final week, and now face homicide costs.

Physique-camera footage of the ordeal was launched by town at 7pm ET on Friday. The video confirmed officers dragging Nichols from his automobile and firing a taser weapon at him earlier than he fled the scene on foot.

Right here’s what we all know concerning the visitors cease the place issues started:

Why was Nichols stopped?

The Memphis Police Division initially mentioned that Nichols was pulled over round 8.30pm native time for “reckless driving.”

“As officers approached the driving force of the car, a confrontation occurred, and the suspect fled the scene on foot,” police mentioned on the time. “Officers pursued the suspect and once more tried to take the suspect into custody. Whereas trying to take the suspect into custody, one other confrontation occurred; nevertheless, the suspect was finally apprehended.”

Police management later walked again these claims.

“I’m going to be sincere with you concerning the cease itself. What was mentioned was there was witnessing of what was thought-about reckless driving,” police chief Cerelyn Davis advised CNN on Friday. “We’ve checked out cameras. We’ve checked out physique worn cameras. Even when one thing occurred previous to this cease, we’ve been unable to substantiate it.”

“We’ve taken a fairly in depth look to find out what that possible trigger was and we’ve not been capable of substantiate that,” she added. “It doesn’t imply that one thing didn’t occur, however there’s no proof.”

The Nichols household can be skeptical of the police model of occasions.

“We don’t know something apart from we obtained to see within the video,” Ben Crump, legal professional for the Nichols household, mentioned on Friday throughout a press convention.

“They are saying he was driving recklessly. Now we have to see it. We actually can’t take their phrase for it.”

What we do know is that after the cease started, police and Nichols engaged in some type of bodily altercation, and at one level Nichols fled police.

Police dispatch audio obtained by Fox 13 captures officers saying, “Now we have one black male operating,” whereas different tape obtained by CBS Information data one other police official say, “He’s combating right now.”

All advised, in response to the MPD, two completely different altercations occurred between Nichols and officers over the course of the cease, the latter happening simply blocks from Nichols’s house.

After the cease, Nichols was hospitalised and photographed with extreme bruising and cuts.

He ultimately died on 10 January.

An out of doors post-mortem confirmed his physique underwent “in depth bleeding.”

Attorneys for the Nichols household say police video of the encounter exhibits officers viciously beating Tyre.

“He was a human piñata for these cops,” legal professional Antonio Romanucci mentioned of the video.

“(It) is appalling. It’s deplorable. It’s heinous,” Mr Crump, one other legal professional for the household, mentioned.