Tyre Nichols: A Timeline of the Investigation Into His Death
Jan. 7, 2023: Tyre was pulled over by police
Tyre Nichols was pulled over by police for alleged reckless driving.
His mother, Rowvaughn Wells, indicated Tyre was only 2 minutes away from his home at the time of this occurrence.
According to officials, Memphis officers approached Nichols, but he ran away.
The body camera footage of the incident has been viewed by the family and attorneys for Nichols' family said footage shows that Nichols did not originally run when being approached by officers. According to them, Nichols told police that "he was just trying to get home" from FedEx, where he worked, and called out for his mother three times toward the end of the video. The body camera footage is yet to be released to the public.
Officers admitted that they pursued Nichols after he ran and apprehended him, police said.
Police further said that after he was apprehended, Nichols "complained of shortness of breath" and was transported by ambulance to Memphis' St. Francis Hospital in critical condition.
As a result, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office was contacted and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) special agents were subsequently requested to conduct a use-of-force investigation.
The Memphis Police Department has indicated that the "officers involved will be routinely relieved of duty pending the outcome of" the TBI's investigation.
Jan. 10: Tyre Nichols Dies
Nichols died three days after being detained by Memphis police. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that Nichols had "succumbed to his injuries." It gave no official cause of death.
Jan. 15: Police announce first investigations
The Memphis Police Department announced that it was starting its own administrative investigation, and that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office were also starting an independent investigation into the use of force by Memphis police officers.
Jan. 18: Federal investigations begin
US Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Kevin G. Ritz, announced that the FBI and DOJ are investigating the incident.
He said, “State authorities have publicly announced that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating." "In addition, the United States Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the FBI Memphis Field Office and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, has opened a civil rights investigation."
Jan. 20: Memphis police officers fired
The Memphis Police Department announced that it fired five police officers following an investigation into Nichols’ death.
The officers were identified (clockwise) as:
- Tadarrius Bean
- Demetrius Haley
- Emmitt Martin III
- Justin Smith
- Desmond Mills Jr.
They are all Black men.
"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," the department said in a statement.
While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said.
Jan. 23: Attorneys say beating lasted three minutes, with bodycam footage showing Nichols being used as a "human pinata"
After Nichols' family and their lawyers viewed the body cam footage from his arrest, attorney Antonio Romanucci said that officers beat Nichols for three minutes.
Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said that "no father, mother should have to witness what I saw today."
Wells added that the footage showed Nichols repeatedly calling out for his mother, according to The Washington Post.
Romanucci also said that Nichols was "defenseless the entire time."
"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."
Jan. 24: Family autopsy shows he suffered "extensive bleeding"
Family attorneys Crump and Romanucci told Insider that their legal team had conducted an independent autopsy of Nichols' body.
"We can state that preliminary findings indicate Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7, 2023," they said.
Jan. 26: Independent autopsy released, officers charged
A grand jury indicted five officers involved in Nichols' death. Each has been charged with murder and is in custody. According to the Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, they have been charged with:
- second-degree murder
- aggravated assault
- aggravated kidnapping resulting in bodily injury
- aggravated kidnapping involving the possession of a weapon
- official misconduct through unauthorized exercise of power
- official misconduct through failure to act when there is a duty imposed by law
- official oppression
An independent autopsy, completed by a forensic pathologist hired by the family's attorneys, found that Nichols suffered from "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating," according to the family.
The family and their attorneys said that "His observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7," "Further details and findings from this independent report will be disclosed at another time."
Memphis Chief of Police Cerelyn Davis called the officers' actions "heinous, reckless and inhumane." She said "when the [body camera footage] is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves."
Chief Davis said protests are expected following the video's release, but warns that even though she anticipates outrage, "none of this is a calling card for inciting violence."
When asked what she made of the fact that the officers involved in the violent incident are Black, Chief Davies said, "It takes off the table that issues and problems in law enforcement is about race," she said. "And it is not. It is about human dignity and integrity, accountability, and the duty to protect our community. And as this video will show you, it doesn’t matter who is wearing the uniform, that we all have that same responsibility. So it takes race off the table. But it does indicate to me that bias might be a factor also in the manner in which we engage the community."
Jan. 26: Biden says Nichols' death shows the justice system needs work
President Joe Biden posted a message on Twitter saying that he and the first lady "extend our hearts to the family of Tyre Nichols – they deserve a swift, full, and transparent investigation."
"Tyre's death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our justice system lives up to the promise of fairness and dignity for all."
Jan. 27: Police say they can't substantiate reckless driving claim
Davis, the police chief, told CNN that the Memphis police have not been able to substantiate that Nichols was driving recklessly, which was why the officers said he was pulled over in the first place.
She again condemned the officers' actions, saying: "I was outraged. It was incomprehensible to me. It was unconscionable... I don't think I've witnessed anything of that nature in my entire career."
Jan. 27: US prepares for protests with body cam footage due
Washington, DC, police said it had fully activated all sworn members in advance of possible protests. The San Francisco Police Department also said it was preparing for protests.
The Atlanta Police Department told CBS News that it was preparing "to support peaceful protests in our city."
Biden and Davis previously said that they expect protests, and urged participants to keep them peaceful.
Source: abc News, Business Insider
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