Protests around the country broke out this weekend after five Memphis police officers were charged in the killing of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who was pulled over for allegedly driving recklessly in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee on Jan. 7.
On Thursday, officers Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean were charged on seven felony counts, the highest count being second-degree murder.
Along with the five officers, three emergency medical technicians were terminated after an internal investigation by the Memphis Fire Department determined that it violated multiple policies when giving Nichols medical attention, according to a Monday NBC article.
On Friday, the Memphis Police Department released body cam footage of Nichols’ death which showed officers beating Nichols after he was dragged out of his car.
The video showed police officers pulling over Nichols and attempting to remove him from his vehicle. Officers then pulled Nichols out of his car as he repeatedly told them,“I just want to get home,” according to a Friday New York Times article.
The officers pepper-sprayed Nichols while one of them shot a taser at him before he escaped and ran on foot.
The officers pursued Nichols for eight minutes before catching him in a suburban neighborhood near his home where they tackled and began beating him.
The video showed officers repeatedly punching Nichols in the head, with one officer kicking him so hard that he nearly fell.
The footage also shows one of the officers using his baton to strike Nichols as he laid on the ground.
Throughout the nearly three-minute beating, Nichols is shown putting his hands near his face to cover up strikes before one officer hits him three times while standing behind him, and Nichols eventually collapses to the ground.
Nichols was pronounced dead at the hospital three days after being apprehended by the police. Nichols’ cause of death was from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to a Monday CNN article.
Shortly after the officers were charged, the Memphis Police Department disbanded the Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace to Our Neighborhoods Unit (SCORPION), the unit the officers belonged to.
“In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders and the uninvolved officers who have done quality work in their assignments, it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit,” the Memphis Police Department said in a statement released on Saturday.
Following the charging of the five officers, groups gathered around the country to protest Nichols’ killing. Lawmakers in San Jose and the greater Bay Area released statements condemning the actions of the Memphis Police Department.
“As the Chief of Police for the San Jose State University Police Department, I am deeply saddened to announce there has been another wrongful death of an African American male at the hands of law enforcement officers,” said SJSU chief of police Michael Carroll in a campus wide email on Friday.
San Jose Mayor, Matt Mahan, condemned the Memphis police officers’ actions and said the city will continue to hold its officials accountable.
“I am outraged that our Black neighbors, friends and family continue to experience violence at the hands of officers who choose to abuse their power … San Jose is equally committed to holding accountable public servants who abuse their power. I pray that Tyre’s family and our community can heal and find peace,” Mahan said in a Friday statement.
A GoFundMe for Nichols has raised just over $1.2 million as of Monday night. Nichols leaves behind a 4-year-old son.
