Memphis Police Release Four Videos Of Tyre Nichols' Lethal Encounters With Officers

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2023) Memphis authorities released four videos showing five former black Memphis police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols, a 29-year old Black man, to death after a traffic stop.

Nichols died on January 10, three days after the incident. All five officers were arrested and charged on Thursday.

Memphis authorities released the graphic videos on Friday evening, initially showing three police officers struggling to handcuff Nichols, a black man, after dragging him out of his car and putting him on the ground on the night of January 7.

Nicholas escapes arrest in the first altercation but police officers eventually catch up with him in a nearby neighborhood.

During the second altercation, police officers struggled to place Nicholas in handcuffs again. Several of the officers kicked and beat him with a baton until one officer appears to punch Nichols in the head several times while two other officers hold his hands behind his back.

Eventually, Nicholas falls to the ground after receiving several hard strikes to the head but it is unclear if he is unconscious.

Several other officers arrive on the scene and look to administer some medical attention, but it takes about 20 minutes to get Nichols an ambulance, based on the video.

Police officers can be heard in the video accusing Nichols of being "high" on some substance and claimed he had been swerving on the road.

One police officer in the video claimed Nichols tried to hit him and another police officer said Nichols tried to grab an officer's gun.

In video #4, Nichols can be heard yelling "mom."

Biden in a statement after the video was released said "It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day."

"We must do everything in our power to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all. Real and lasting change will only come if we take action to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again," Biden added.

All five former Memphis police officers indicted in connection to Nichols' death were released on bond late Thursday night and into Friday morning, according to Shelby County Jail records.

Former officers Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin were each released on $350,000 bonds, jail records show, while Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, and Desmond Mills Jr were released on 250,000 bonds.

It is unclear at this time who posted the bonds, as no information about the posters was included in the records.

Nichols died at a Memphis hospital where he succumbed to his injuries three days later after the beating took place.

Nichols' mother earlier this week said Nichols was only two minutes away from home when he was "murdered."