Lawyers for the family of a Black man who died after a traffic stop in Memphis say police beat him for 3 minutes like a 'human pinata'
Adrian Sainz/AP Photo
- Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died after being beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop.
- Lawyers for his family say he was pummelled non-stop for three minutes and was kicked and tasered.
- The Memphis Police Department has fired five officers, who are also Black, after an investigation.
A Black man who died after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee was beaten by police for three straight minutes, attorneys for his family said on Monday.
Tyre Nichols, 29, was sent to the hospital in critical condition after the January 7 traffic stop and died three days later. He had a 4-year-old son.
On Monday, law enforcement officials allowed Nichols' family and their lawyers to privately view body camera footage of Nichols' arrest, which is not yet available to the public.
After seeing the footage, attorney Antonio Romanucci said during a Monday press conference that Nichols was "defenseless the entire time" while he was being beaten by five police officers, all of whom were also Black.
"He was a human pinata for those police officers," he said. "It was unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes."
Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said the video showed Nichols being beaten just 80 yards from his home, where he lived with his mother and Wells.
"What I saw on the video today was horrific," he said at the press conference. "No father, mother should have to witness what I saw today."
Lawyers for Nichols' family said the footage showed him being kicked, punched, and tasered. His mother, RowVaughn Wells, was so affected by the video that she left the room when she heard her son's voice, The Washington Post reported.
Gerald Herbert/AP Photo
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who also represents Nichols' family, compared the video of the January beating to the footage of the 1991 battering of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police Department officers.
"Yet again, we're seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops. Simple traffic stops. You should not be killed because of a simple traffic stop," he said at the Monday press conference.
Crump said Nichols was a FedEx worker who took photography classes, loved computers, and was an avid skateboarder. His mother said her son had her name tattooed on his arm.
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) said Nichols had been stopped for reckless driving and fled the scene on foot after a confrontation with officers.
His stepfather said the body camera footage showed Nichols ran because he was afraid.
"Our son ran because he was scared for his life," Wells said. "He did not run because he was trying to get rid of no drugs, no guns, no any of that."
On Friday, the MPD said it fired five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, and Desmond Mills, Jr. — after an administrative investigation into Nichols' death.
—Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) January 21, 2023
"After a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we have determined that five MPD officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid," Chief Cerelyn Davis wrote in a statement.
Memphis police officials said footage of Nichols' arrest will be released publicly at an unspecified later date.
An MPD spokesperson told Insider the department would share updates on its social media channels.
Crump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.