Five US police officers face charges in the death of a black man in Memphis. Tire Nichols, 29, died earlier this month after officers used excessive force during his arrest.
The five officers, who are also black, were previously fired by the police force because of the violence. They are now being charged with second-degree murder, comparable to manslaughter, and aggravated assault. All five are trapped.
Nichols was arrested for reckless driving on January 7 after a chase. According to his lawyer, he was beaten “like a piñata” and was then mutilated beyond recognition. On January 10, Nichols died of his injuries.
The images of the officers’ bodycams will be published on Friday. Nichols’ family has already seen the footage and called it “disgusting”.
Call for peaceful protest
Nichols’ family has called for peaceful protest. President Joe Biden concurs, saying on Thursday “Anger is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.”
The president also says he cannot deny that “black and brown people disproportionately often have fatal contacts with the police”. Biden believes that agents should be held accountable for their actions in order to ensure “a structural change”.
Since George Floyd was killed by police brutality in 2020, there have been frequent protests against racial inequality in the United States. Although the officers in this case are also black, some American media see Nichols’ death as evidence that the police are taking a tougher approach to arrests of black people.