What we know about Tyre Nichols' death and the Memphis officers charged with his murder - CBS News

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Protests successful aftermath of Tyre Nichols video

Protesters march nationwide aft video released of Tyre Nichols' death 06:14

Five erstwhile Memphis constabulary officers person been fired and charged with murder successful the decease of Tyre Nichols, a Black antheral who died 3 days aft being beaten successful a postulation halt successful aboriginal January. Disturbing video footage of Nichols' convulsive arrest was released Friday evening.

Here is what we cognize truthful acold astir the constabulary encounter, his decease and the aftermath.

Who was Tyre Nichols, and what bash we cognize astir his arrest?

Nichols, a 29-year-old who worked astatine FedEx, was the begetter of a 4-year-old boy. The youngest of 4 siblings, helium was particularly close with his mother. He has been described by friends and family arsenic joyful and spiritual, and helium was an avid skateboarder and photographer.

"This antheral walked into a room, and everyone loved him," said Angelina Paxton, a person who attended his memorial service.

Nichols grew up successful Sacramento earlier moving to Memphis, wherever helium lived with his parent and stepfather. Friends from his teenage years successful California spoke to CBS Sacramento astir however overmuch joyousness helium brought to those astir him.

"I cognize Tyre. I cognize however large helium was," said Jerome Neal, who had conscionable visited Nichols successful Memphis successful November. "I spot him interacting with similar astir everybody astatine the skate parkland erstwhile I'm with him. He was conscionable well-loved."

"He conscionable touches anybody who gets astir him," different friend, Austin Robert, told the station. "He's a fantastic idiosyncratic and that's however I truly privation everybody to retrieve him."

Tyre Nichols' death, and a mother's pain 06:44

On the nighttime of Jan. 7, Nichols was returning location from a suburban parkland wherever helium had taken photos of the sunset, according to his family's attorneys.

On the mode home, helium was stopped for reckless driving, according to the archetypal connection from the Memphis Police Department. As officers approached Nichols to apprehension him, a "confrontation" occurred and Nichols ran away, constabulary said. A 2nd "confrontation" besides occurred astatine immoderate constituent earlier Nichols was yet arrested, constabulary said.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn "CJ" Davis later said investigators "have not been capable to substantiate" the archetypal study of reckless driving.

Police said that, pursuing the arrest, Nichols "complained of having a shortness of breath, astatine which clip an ambulance was called." Nichols was taken to a infirmary successful captious condition, constabulary said.

Three days later, connected Jan. 10, Nichols "succumbed to his injuries," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said, but did not elaborate connected what those injuries were. An authoritative origin of decease has not been released.

Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, told CBS affiliate WREG-TV his stepson suffered a cardiac apprehension and kidney nonaccomplishment due to the fact that of a beating by the officers.

Attorneys for the household said that an autarkic autopsy they commissioned recovered that Nichols suffered "extensive bleeding caused by a terrible beating." The afloat findings of the study were not made public.

What does the bodycam and surveillance footage show?

Four videos were released Friday, including footage from constabulary assemblage cameras and thoroughfare surveillance cameras.

They amusement officers archetypal removing Nichols from his conveyance aft pulling him over, an archetypal conflict erstwhile Nichols breaks escaped and runs distant from the officers, and past disturbing images of Nichols being restrained and beaten by 5 officers astatine an intersection.

The videos amusement Nichols being kicked and punched successful the caput portion being restrained, capsicum sprayed, and struck aggregate times with a baton.

The archetypal assemblage camera video shows a constabulary serviceman approaching a car with his weapon drawn portion Nichols is being forcibly pulled retired and pushed to the crushed by different officer.

In the video, Nichols tells the officers helium was "just trying to get home."

The officers proceed to propulsion him to the crushed and an serviceman pulls a Taser stun weapon and points it astatine Nichols' leg. Another serviceman capsicum sprays Nichols earlier helium breaks escaped and runs down the street.

The 2nd video, taken from an elevated thoroughfare surveillance camera, shows officers restraining and beating Nichols astatine a antithetic location, suburban intersection. Two officers are shown holding Nichols connected the ground, erstwhile a 3rd serviceman approaches and kicks Nichols successful the face. A 4th serviceman with a baton besides beats Nichols, hitting him successful the back. Nichols stands up and stumbles portion being held by 2 officers, erstwhile different 1 punches him successful the look respective times until the blows marque Nichols collapse.

The 3rd video shows bodycam footage and audio of the beating, aft officers apprehend Nichols astatine the intersection. While helium is being held connected the ground, the serviceman wearing the camera capsicum sprays Nichols repeatedly. The serviceman aboriginal deploys the retractable baton.

The 4th video shows bodycam footage of an serviceman chasing and knocking Nichols to the crushed astatine the intersection. The video is astir wholly obscured for respective minutes, but audio conveys the evident conflict for Nichols to drawback his enactment and the dependable of handcuffs clicking.

"Get him up!" 1 of the officers says. Officers tin beryllium seen gathering astatine the intersection, with constabulary lights and Nichols sitting connected the thoroughfare with his backmost against a grey car, his hands down him. An serviceman shines a flashlight connected his look a mates of times, and Nichols seems to beryllium bleeding from the broadside of his head.

Nichols sits successful the acheronian against the car, hardly moving. At immoderate constituent paramedics are seen walking up to him, propping him up arsenic helium slumps to the side.

Nichols' household and their attorneys, on with respective Memphis authorities, had viewed the footage earlier its nationalist release. In a Jan. 23 property conference, household lawyer Ben Crump called the video "heinous" and likened the police's actions to the infamous 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police.

"He was a quality piñata for those constabulary officers," Antonio Romanucci, different household attorney, said.

Nichols' mother, RowVaugn Wells, told "CBS Mornings" that erstwhile she saw the video, "All I heard my lad accidental was, 'What did I do?' I conscionable mislaid it from there." She said she could not ticker it successful full.

In a video statement, Memphis Police Chief Davis called the officers' actions "heinous, reckless and inhumane."

"This is not conscionable a nonrecreational failing. This is simply a failing of basal humanity toward different individual," she said.

The officers involved

Five Memphis constabulary officers were determined to beryllium "directly liable for the carnal maltreatment of Mr. Nichols," said Davis, the constabulary chief. The 5 officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith — were fired connected Jan. 20. All are Black.

After watching the footage released connected Friday night, Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said 2 different officers who responded to the country were "relieved of work pending an investigation."

The 5 officers charged were members of the alleged SCORPION unit, a radical created by the section to absorption connected warring thoroughfare crime. On Saturday, Memphis constabulary announced that the SCORPION portion had been "permanently deactivated." The portion had been "inactive" since the brushwood with Nichols, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland had said successful a news bulletin Friday.

Strickland besides said that the metropolis was "initiating an outside, autarkic reappraisal of the training, policies and operations of our specialized units."

On Jan. 26, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that a expansive assemblage had handed down indictments connected charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, authoritative misconduct and authoritative oppression against each 5 erstwhile officers.

Second-degree execution is simply a people A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years successful situation nether Tennessee law.

Martin's lawyer, William Massey, confirmed Thursday that his lawsuit had turned himself in. Martin was retired connected $350,000 enslaved arsenic of aboriginal Friday morning, jailhouse records showed.

Bean, Smith, Mills and Haley each posted $250,000 enslaved and were released.

Massey said nary of the officers intended to termination Nichols.

"No 1 retired determination that nighttime intended for Tyre Nichols to die," Massey told reporters. "No one. No one. Police officers person a hard and unsafe job. It's astir apt 1 of their worst fears that thing similar this would hap connected their watch."

One of the officers, Haley, was accused antecedently of utilizing excessive force. He was named arsenic a suspect successful a 2016 national civilian rights suit portion employed by the Shelby County Division of Corrections.

The plaintiff successful that case, Cordarlrius Sledge, said helium was an inmate successful 2015 erstwhile Haley and different corrections serviceman accused him of flushing contraband. The 2 officers "hit maine successful the look with punches," according to the complaint. A 3rd serviceman past slammed his caput to the ground, Sledge said. He mislaid consciousness and woke up successful the facility's aesculapian center.

The claims were yet dismissed aft a justice ruled that Sledge had failed to record a grievance against the officers wrong 30 days of the incident.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. announced connected Friday, Jan. 27, that 2 deputies who were astatine the country pursuing Nichols' apprehension by Memphis constabulary person been "relieved of duty." Bonner said that an "internal investigation" has been launched to find if the deputies violated immoderate policies. No further details were provided.

In the Jan. 27 quality bulletin, Strickland said that "concurrent" with the probe into Nichols' death, "other MPD officers are inactive nether probe for section argumentation violations, immoderate infractions little egregious than others."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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