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The police bodycam footage of Memphis police officers' confrontation with Tyre Nichols was released to the public by Tennessee authorities on Friday.
Five Memphis officers, all of whom are Black, were fired and charged Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes in connection to Nichols' death during a traffic stop on Jan. 7. Nichols died three days later. Scripps News reports Nichols, who is also a Black man, was returning home after taking pictures at a park when he was pulled over.
- Memphis authorities release video of officers beating Tyre Nichols during arrest
- Milwaukee leaders condemn 'all forms of violence' after Tyre Nichols beating death
Police released four different video clips Friday which show the traffic stop and the officers beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes.
Nichols can be heard saying "I'm just trying to go home" and "Stop, I'm not doing anything" after he was wrestled to the ground. According to the Associated Press, the Nichols family's legal team compared the assault to the infamous 1991 Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King.
President Joe Biden responded to the video release Friday expressing his outrage and pain.
"It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day," President Biden's statement said in part. "My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols’ family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols’ family in calling for peaceful protest."
The nation is now bracing for large demonstrations as Nichols' relatives also urge for peaceful protests. Milwaukee police say officers are prepared to "address any potential unrest however, at this time, there are no known credible threats in the City of Milwaukee."
As previously reported, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Police Chief Jeffery Norman, and Director of Violence Prevention Ashanti Hamilton issued a statement Friday saying they "are appalled by the recent incident that occurred in Tennessee."
"We emphatically condemn violence in all forms. Accountability must occur for those in law enforcement who commit unlawful acts. Policing must be constitutional, fair, and impartial. Above all else, policing must always respect human dignity and life," the statement reads.
Several Wisconsin leaders immediately began to react following the video release.
Gov. Tony Evers
"My heart breaks tonight for Tyre Nichols, his loved ones, Memphis, and communities across our country who are grieving, re-traumatized, fearful, and exhausted. He should still be with us today. I join Mr. Nichols’ family in calling for peace tonight and in the days ahead. There must be a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation to ensure accountability, which is the first step toward justice, toward healing, and toward change."
My heart breaks tonight for Tyre Nichols, his loved ones, Memphis, and communities across our country who are grieving, re-traumatized, fearful, and exhausted.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) January 28, 2023
He should still be with us today.
Rep. Gwen Moore
"You do not need to see the video to know that Tyre Nichols should be alive today. I applaud the swift actions taken to hold those responsible for his killing to justice. However, police accountability must be the rule, not the exception," Moore tweeted on Friday. "Our country needs the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, enhance transparency, and prevent & remedy racial profiling by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. My heart is with the loved ones of Tyre, with Memphis, & with communities across America who are repeatedly traumatized by police violence. We can change this broken system, and change cannot wait."
Sen. Lena Taylor
"It's hard to believe that the shock and visceral response to the video of George Floyd's death could be matched, but it has. The injuries inflicted upon Tyre Nichols were brutal and vile. I wept for this young man tonight and I weep for a system where these officers felt emboldened to behave in this manner. I wish I could offer more meaningful commentary, but my disgust and dismay won't let me move beyond my outrage at what was done to this man. No one helped him."
Rep. Darrin Madison
“This is not an isolated case. This is the horrible and natural result of a system based on punitive controls instead of a realistic continuum of care that is rooted in rehabilitation, repairing the harm, and guaranteed safety not only for those in the care of our country but for our whole community.”
Rep. Ryan Clancy
“Events like this brutal murder shake the conscience of our community. Many will urge us merely to ‘remain calm’. Please do not. To do so is to be complacent and complicit in this violence. Be angry. Protest. Agitate for change. Respond to this horrific and sustained systemic violence not with violence but with a fierce determination to tear down and replace the system responsible for it.The charges filed in this case are merely the lowest bar of accountability after the fact – only systemic change which prevents future victims will bring justice. The demographics of the charged officers do not make this case ‘complicated’. They underline the present and historic reality of policing in America: policing is rooted in racism and against the interests of the working class. No amount of reform, training, or ‘community’ policing can or will change that.”
The Milwaukee Bucks
"We are outraged by the deadly beating that Tyre Nichols received from five Memphis police officers. While the police officers being charged for their heinous actions is an important step for justice, this incident further highlights the need for progress in improving police-community relations. The Bucks remain committed to using our voice and resources to inspire the systemic change that needs to happen in our marginalized communities. Our hearts and prayers go out to Mr. Nichols’ family and friends."
Rep. LaKeshia Myers
“Like most Americans, I was horrified by video footage showing the beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The manner in which Mr. Nichols was kicked, bludgeoned, and pepper sprayed, repeatedly, by multiple officers was heinous and downright inhumane. I cannot think of any circumstance where a routine traffic stop includes a civilian being beaten by multiple officers and ends in loss of life. Furthermore, I cannot fathom how or why other officers neglected to intervene to stop the behavior of their colleagues.
Tonight, I mourn with the family of Tyre Nichols; I mourn with the City of Memphis, and I lend my voice to the chorus of public protesters who demand justice for the Nichols family and the disbanding of specialized task forces who operate outside the margins of acceptable policing. We are beyond discussions of de-escalation, proper training, and improved policy. What is needed is a total erosion of long-standing pervasive police culture. This cannot come from civilians, but from officers themselves.
We fought for training, de-escalation, and bodycams, yet with all of these things, here we are again, mourning another life, taken mercilessly by an officer operating outside the color of law.”
