Tyre Nichols' lawyer urges lawmakers to pass urgent police reforms

The lawyer representing Tyre Nichols' household has called connected the US Congress to walk urgent constabulary betterment authorities successful the aftermath of his death.

Mr Nichols, 29, was fatally beaten by 5 constabulary officers successful January.

Speaking to US media, Ben Crump urged President Joe Biden to usage Mr Nichols's decease to summation enactment for the George Floyd Justice successful Policing Act.

And helium said Mr Nichols's parent was coping her son's nonaccomplishment by hoping that his decease could pb to change.

"She believes successful her bosom Tyre was sent present for an duty and that determination is going to beryllium greater bully that comes from this tragedy," Mr Crump said.

The George Floyd Justice successful Policing Act was introduced successful 2021 aft Mr Floyd was killed by a achromatic constabulary serviceman kneeling connected his cervix for much than 9 minutes. His decease sparked planetary protests.

The measure would spot a national prohibition connected the usage of chokeholds by constabulary and marque it easier to bring charges against offending officers.

Lawmakers successful the House of Representatives - which was past controlled by the Democratic Party - passed the measure successful March 2021, but it was aboriginal held up by absorption successful the Senate.

"Shame connected america if we don't usage his tragic decease to yet get the George Floyd Justice successful Policing Act passed," Mr Crump told CNN. The lawyer said if the instrumentality did not change, deaths astatine the manus of constabulary would continue.

Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP civilian rights radical - besides called connected legislators to instrumentality action.

"By failing to constitute a portion of legislation, you're penning different obituary," Mr Johnson said successful a statement. "We tin sanction each the victims of constabulary violence, but we can't sanction a azygous instrumentality you person passed to code it."

But the Republican House of Representatives Judiciary seat Jim Jordan warned politicians to not unreserved legislation.

"These 5 individuals did not person immoderate respect for life... I don't cognize if there's thing you tin bash to halt the benignant of evil we saw successful that video", helium told NBC's Meet the Press programme.

A puerility person of Mr Nichols told the BBC his bequest would beryllium preserved done ineligible reform. Angelina Paxton said helium "always wanted to alteration the world".

Ms Paxton said Mr Nichols was "very passionate astir Black Lives Matter".

"He ever wanted to marque a difference," she said. "If it gives anyone immoderate comfortableness retired of each those symptom that we're each going done close now, conscionable cognize that I tin warrant you he's up determination close present smiling, due to the fact that helium yet did what helium ever wanted to do."

On Saturday, the Memphis Police Department disbanded the alleged Scorpion peculiar portion of which the constabulary officers present charged with execution were members.

The portion was a 50-person squad that was tasked with bringing down transgression levels - peculiarly car thefts and gang-related offences.

Scorpion stood for "Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace successful Our Neighborhoods".

The 5 officers - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith - were fired from the Memphis constabulary unit past week.

Four of the 5 posted bail and were released from custody by Friday morning, according to jailhouse records.

Lawyers for Mr Martin and Mr Mills person said their clients volition plead not guilty.

In an interrogation with BBC News connected Friday, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said the Scorpion portion was created to beryllium "more responsive" and "more proactive" to weapon unit successful the city. But she acknowledged that the officers who brutally bushed Tyre Nichols "decided to spell disconnected the rails".

"We are doing an idiosyncratic valuation of each units," she said. "This is simply a indispensable step. We privation to beryllium afloat transparent to the community."

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr said 2 lawman sheriffs who "appeared connected the country following" the confrontation person besides been suspending pending an interior investigation.