Memphis disbands police unit after fatal beating as protesters take to streets - Reuters

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan 28 (Reuters) - The specialized constabulary portion that included the 5 Memphis officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols was disbanded connected Saturday arsenic much protests took spot successful U.S. cities a time aft harrowing video of the onslaught was released.

The constabulary section said successful a connection it was permanently deactivating the SCORPION portion aft the constabulary main spoke with members of Nichols' family, assemblage leaders and different officers. A constabulary spokesperson confirmed each 5 officers were members of the unit.

Video recordings from constabulary body-worn cameras and a camera mounted connected a inferior rod showed Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, repeatedly screaming "Mom!" arsenic officers kicked, punched and struck him with a baton successful his mother's vicinity aft a Jan. 7 postulation stop. He was hospitalized and died of his injuries 3 days later.

Five officers progressive successful the beating, each Black, were charged connected Thursday with murder, assault, kidnapping and different charges. All person been dismissed from the department.

Nichols' household and officials expressed outrage and sorrow but urged protesters to stay peaceful. That petition was mostly heeded connected Friday erstwhile scattered protests broke retired successful Memphis - wherever marchers concisely blocked an interstate road - and elsewhere.

Cities crossed the United States saw renewed nonviolent demonstrations connected Saturday. In Memphis, protesters chanting, "Whose streets? Our streets!" angrily catcalled a constabulary car that was monitoring the march, with respective making obscene gestures. Some cheered loudly erstwhile they learned of the disbandment of SCORPION.

Hundreds of protesters gathered successful New York's Washington Square Park earlier marching done Manhattan, arsenic columns of constabulary officers walked alongside them.

Taken together, the 4 video clips released Friday showed constabulary pummeling Nichols adjacent though helium appeared to airs nary threat. The archetypal postulation halt was for reckless driving, though the constabulary main has said the origin for the halt has not been substantiated.

The SCORPION unit, abbreviated for the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace successful our Neighborhoods, was formed successful October 2021 to ore connected transgression blistery spots. Critics accidental specified specialized teams tin beryllium prone to abusive tactics.

Friends and household accidental Nichols was an affable, talented skateboarder who grew up successful Sacramento, California, and moved to Memphis earlier the coronavirus pandemic. The begetter of a 4-year-old child, Nichols worked astatine FedEx and had precocious enrolled successful a photography class.

Nate Spates Jr., 42, was portion of a ellipse of friends, including Nichols, who met up astatine a Starbucks successful the area.

"He liked what helium liked, and helium marched to the bushed of his ain drum," Spates said, remembering that Nichols would spell to a parkland called Shelby Farms to ticker the sunset erstwhile helium wasn't moving a precocious shift.

Nichols' decease is the latest high-profile lawsuit of constabulary utilizing excessive unit against Black radical and different minorities. The 2020 execution of George Floyd, a Black antheral who died aft a achromatic Minneapolis serviceman knelt connected his cervix for much than 9 minutes, galvanized worldwide protests implicit radical injustice.

Reporting by Maria Cardona successful Memphis, Tennessee, and Diane Bartz successful Washington; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Robert Birsel

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