Tyre Nichols.Photo: Adrian Sainz/AP/Shutterstock
While five Memphis police officers were allegedly beating him to death,Tyre Nicholsused his final words to cry out for his mother, family attorney Benjamin Crump said at a Friday press conference.
“He calls out three times for his mother. His last words on this earth are ‘Mom, Mom, Mom.’ He’s screaming for her,” Crump said. “He said, ‘I just wanna go home.'”
Around 8:30 pm on Jan. 7, Nichols, 29, was pulled over for alleged reckless driving in Memphis, Tenn. However, Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said onCNNearly Friday that an investigation and review of available camera footage could not “substantiate the reckless driving” claim.
According to multiple outlets, citing the victim’s family, police body cam footage leading up to his arrest depicted a brutal beating at the hands of five now-former Memphis police officers, who have also been accused of pepper spraying and tasing Nichols.
“For a mother to know he was calling them in their need — do you know how I feel right now because I wasn’t there for my son?” Nichols’ mother RowVaughn Wells told reporters through tears.
Tyre Nichols.Jordan James/AP/Shutterstock
Nichols was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he died three days later.
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His death, and officer body cam footage of the alleged savage beating that will be released Friday evening, are expected to spark nationwide protests.
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Nichols’s stepfather Rodney Wells is calling for those protests to be peaceful, echoing the same call from Nichols' mother at a Thursday vigil.
“We want peace,” he urged. “We do not want any type of uproar. We want peaceful protests.”
Specialized Police Groups Are ‘Oppression Units,’ Says Lawyer
At Friday’s press conference, Nichols family attorney Tony Romanucci called on Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis to disband the city’s SCORPION unit, otherwise known as the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods unit.
The police officers charged in the alleged murder of Nichols' were part of this specialized group, assembled in response to the city’s uptick in violence.
Instead, Romanucci referred to SCORPION and police groups like it as “oppression units.”
Added Crump, “It’s about police officers having this biased belief that you can get away with doing certain things to Black citizens and Brown citizens in America.”
According to theCommercial Appeal, second-degree murder is more serious than voluntary manslaughter, but a lesser charge than first-degree murder. In Tennessee, it is not eligible for the death penalty, per the outlet.
Lawyers for two of the officers said they had not yet seen the video evidence, and urged the public to reserve judgment.
“No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die,” William Massey, who is representing Martin, said at a news conference on Thursday.
Both Rodney Wells and Crump said the family is satisfied with the second-degree murder charges at this time.
Nichols Loved Photography, Skateboarding, Sunsets
Nichols' mom says she has not watched the footage.
“But what I’ve heard is very horrific, very horrific and any of you who have children please don’t let them see it,” she said.
“I still haven’t had time to grieve yet,” RowVaughn Wells said. “I’m still dealing with the death of my son. This was no supposed to happen, my son was supposed to be with me today.”
“My son loved the sunsets — that was his passion,” Wells recalled. “He loved photography, he loved skateboarding - he was just his own person.”
“My son was a beautiful soul. He was a good boy. No one’s perfect,” she said, “but he was damn near.”
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source: people.com
