On January 7, 2023, Memphis resident Tyre Nichols was pulled over by police for an alleged traffic violation after photographing a sunset, according to his family.
A confrontation ensued, and he was brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers – all of whom are Black – in an encounter that is recorded by police body cameras.
On Thursday Jan. 26, the five officers were charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Video of the traffic stop was released on Friday night, Jan. 27.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones:
“Families across our region and our country have seen yet another traumatizing video showing the tragic, heinously violent final moments of a Black man’s life. As the mother of a Black son, my heart goes out to Tyre Nichols’ family and friends, and I pray they find justice. Tyre should still be with us today.”
“When we say that Black Lives Matter, it affirms our shared humanity that police mercilessly denied Tyre. Community trust is necessary to make our neighborhoods safer, and the incident in Memphis tragically reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do. Last year, I worked with the Board of Aldermen to pass a new ordinance to strengthen civilian oversight of our public safety departments. While it currently faces a challenge in court, this will not stop me from continuing to advocate for police accountability in St. Louis.”
Congresswoman Cori Bush:
“Tyre Nichols should be alive today. He should be playing with his four-year-old son. He should be skateboarding and photographing sunsets. But instead, Tyre was brutally beaten to death by Memphis Police officers. And now, instead of seeing the photographs he took, the world watches Tyre crying out for his mother in his final moments of consciousness.
“Charging the officers who brutalized Tyre is not enough. Our country will continue to sanction the taking of Black lives with impunity until it embraces an affirmative vision of public safety and dismantles its racist policing system rooted in enslavement and government control. And let’s be clear: merely diversifying police forces will never address the violent, racist architecture that underpins our entire criminal legal system.”
State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis:
“What happened to Tyre Nichols is nothing short of a lynching. Officers of the Memphis Police Department forced Nichols from his vehicle during a routine traffic stop and immediately indicated violent intent. Then, he was pepper sprayed, beaten with police batons, punched, kicked, and brutalized just a hundred yards from his mother’s home to the point that the injuries he suffered led directly to his death.
“While law enforcement leaders in Memphis are acting quickly to hold these officers accountable, it remains disturbing that nearly one decade after Ferguson, we still see violence like this inflicted upon Black people by the authorities. The fact that it was five Black officers who committed this horrific act shows what activists around the country have been saying for nearly a decade: It is not the remediation of individual actors with law enforcement but the system itself that needs serious reform.”
Other comments include:
State Rep. Jamie Johnson, D-Kansas City:
“As mother of three—two of whom are young Black men—I feel compelled to speak about the horrifically violent death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five rogue Memphis police officers.
I applaud the swift and decisive action taken against the offending officers by Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, as well as the level of transparency and forthrightness from Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. May their actions set a new standard for how law enforcement maintains trust within the communities it serves.”
Missouri NAACP statement:
“The Missouri State Conference of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s premier
civil rights organization, issued the following statement following the murder of Tyre Nichols in
Memphis, TN that was initiated at a questionable traffic stop. Our hearts and prayers are
extended to the families and the community that must now live with this murder at the hands of law enforcement. The murder was not justified. The video is sickening. We all mourn the loss.
African Americans are disproportionately stopped in Missouri at shocking rates throughout the state. Stops are more likely to end in ticketing or arrest when the driver is a person of color. Mr. Nichols is the latest state-funded illegal execution and generations will know the depravity witnessed in the videos that have been released. Missouri must address the use of local law enforcement in violation of our rights and our freedom. Missouri must also ensure that prosecutors are held accountable for lives lost.
“Mr. Nichols was unarmed and still brutally beaten. The courageous Police Chief Cerelyn
Davis sets a standard we must emulate in Missouri. Her willingness to hold officers accountable when they commit crimes and rejection of outdated policing must inform us now even as we mourn with the family and friends of Mr. Nichols and Americans at large.
Building Back Together Executive Director Danielle Melfi
“The video released of the beating that led to Tyre Nichols’ death is disgusting, brutal, and horrifyingly familiar. We share in the outrage and pain at this footage, and remember Tyre for the life he lived; he was a devoted son, brother, and father, and a beloved member of the Memphis community. He should be alive today – as should countless victims of police brutality going back decades, an overwhelming number of them Black Americans. Turning a blind eye to this generational injustice is unacceptable, and Tyre and his family deserve swift justice. Every American should be treated fairly and with dignity when interacting with police. Tyre’s death is a gut-wrenching reminder that we have a long way to go in making that a reality.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have led on this issue, including through an executive order on justice and policing, but as they have said many times, this is not enough. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. We cannot erase generations of trauma; we cannot bring back those whose lives were taken too soon; but we can prevent future deaths and make our country safer for Black Americans. We pray for Tyre’s family, for the city of Memphis, for the Black community, and for our nation. Enough.”
