Tyre Nichols 'a human pinata' for cops, attorney says after viewing bodycam footage - ABC News

The video footage of Tyre Nichols' enactment with 5 Memphis constabulary officers is "appalling," "deplorable," "heinous," "violent" and "troublesome connected each level," Ben Crump, lawyer for the Nichols family, said during a property league Monday aft viewing the bodycam video.

Nichols' family, on with attorneys Crump and Antonio Romanucci, viewed the body-camera footage Monday morning, facilitated by the Memphis Police Department and Memphis City administration.

The apprehension video has not been released to the public.

"What helium was successful that [video] was defenseless the full time," Romanucci said. "He was a quality piñata for those constabulary officers. It was unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating of this young lad for 3 minutes." Romanucci besides mentioned that Nichols, who died January 10, was kicked during the footage.

According to Nichols' mother, Rowvaughn Wells, helium was 2 minutes distant from his location erstwhile helium was pulled over, and little than 80 yards from the location erstwhile helium was apprehended by the officers.

Rowvaughn told ABC News' Steve Osunsami that she could not ticker the full video.

“Once the video started and I heard my son's voice, I mislaid it. I couldn't enactment successful the room. All I heard him accidental was, what did I do? And erstwhile I heard that, I mislaid it,” she said.

Crump and Romanucci said the footage shows that Nichols did not primitively tally erstwhile being approached by officers, and told them that "he was conscionable trying to get home" from FedEx, wherever helium worked, and yelled for his parent 3 times toward the extremity of the video.

"Our lad ran due to the fact that helium was frightened for his life," Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said. "He did not tally due to the fact that helium was trying to get escaped of nary drugs, nary gun, nary immoderate of that. He ran due to the fact that helium was frightened for his life. And erstwhile you spot the video, you volition spot wherefore helium was frightened for his life."

The household said they saw the constabulary kick, capsicum spray and usage a stun weapon connected their lad each portion Nichols repeatedly asked, “What did I do?”

“They handcuffed him and acceptable him, propped him up connected the car. And arsenic helium fell implicit they’d archer him ‘sit backmost up,’ Rodney told ABC News. “You know, and helium would slump backmost implicit again and they would marque him beryllium backmost up. They ne'er rendered immoderate aid.”

Rowvaughn Wells spoke done tears astatine the property conference, recalling however bully of a lad her lad was and demanded justness pursuing his death.

"We're going to get justness for my lad Tyre if that's the past enactment I take," she said.

Nichols died connected Jan. 10, 3 days aft being stopped by constabulary for alleged reckless driving. He was hospitalized successful captious information aft complaining of shortness of enactment during the arrest.

The Memphis antheral had Crohn's illness and suffered from terrible value loss, according to his family. The quality of Nichols astatine the infirmary was affectional for his parents.

"When I walked into that infirmary room, my lad was already dead," Rowvaughn Wells said.

The Memphis Police Department announced connected Friday that it fired the 5 constabulary officers, each Black, progressive successful the incident, concluding the department's interior investigation.

The officers were identified arsenic Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith.

Officers who were terminated aft their engagement successful a postulation halt that ended with the decease of Tyre Nichols, successful a operation of undated photographs successful Memphis, Tenn. From left: Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean.

Memphis Police Dept. via Reuters

The officers were successful patrol cars during the stop, though immoderate of the vehicles were unmarked, according to the family's attorneys.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told ABC News that they’re looking into imaginable transgression charges against the erstwhile officers. The household said they're hoping for a execution complaint to beryllium issued.

The video footage is expected to beryllium released either this week oregon adjacent week, according to an authoritative connection from the Shelby County District Attorney's bureau released connected Monday.

"Transparency is simply a precedence for the DA's Office, and we recognize the public's tendency for contiguous release. However, it's important that the merchandise does not compromise the investigation," the connection said.

The FBI and the Justice Department are continuing their coordinated investigations for the decease of Tyre Nichols alongside the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.

Crump and Romanucci announced they volition beryllium conducting their ain civilian investigation.

Nichols' decease has caused the Memphis assemblage to protest, with citizens demanding the nationalist merchandise of the body-camera footage.

“Whatever it takes to wide my son's sanction and to get justness for my son,” Rodney Wells told ABC News. “If they request to support the video for 2 much weeks, past fto them support the video for 2 much weeks.”

The erstwhile constabulary officers and the constabulary national did not instantly respond to ABC News' requests for comment.