Protesters march in Memphis after video released of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police
Donald Trump has described the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols as “horrible” and says that it “never should have happened.”
The former president’s comments came one day after the city of Memphis publicly released video footage of the attack earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the five former police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols will be arraigned in mid-February. Court records show they are scheduled to appear for a “bond arraignment” on February 17, Fox News reported on Sunday.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith have all since been fired from their positions, and the specialised Scorpion unit to which they belonged has been disbanded.
Their arraignment hearing will be presided over by Shelby County criminal court Judge James Jones.
The news came as Ben Crump, attorney for the Nichols family, called for federal reform to stop the cycle of police killings of Black men.
“Without federal police reform, I think we’re gonna continue to see these hashtags proliferate so much … that we can’t keep up with them,” he told ABC’s ‘This Week’.
Memphis police shut down the “Scorpion” unit involved in the fatal arrest of Mr Nichols, following the release of the video showing him being beaten by officers.
Bodycam footage of the deadly arrest of Mr Nichols was released on Friday evening, one day after five police officers were charged with his murder.
The grainy footage captures a violent confrontation between police and Nichols, where officers can be seen using fists, batons, and stun guns against him, then laughing and bragging about the arrest.
“Watch out, I’m going to baton the f*** out of you,” one officer can be heard saying on the tape.
The shocking footage inspired widespread protests across Memphis and beyond.
Nichols died three days after his arrest. An independent autopsy released by his family shows he suffered “extensive bleeding” before his death.
On Thursday, officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were all charged with second-degree murder.
