Family members said Nichols died of kidney failure and cardiac arrest on Jan. 10, three days after the police encounter. A police spokesman said officers pulled Nichols over for reckless driving and Nichols fled on foot before being arrested.
“What I saw on the video today was terrible,” said Nichols, Rodney Wells, at a press conference Monday afternoon. “No father or mother should see what we saw today. Justice for us is Killing One. Anything less is unacceptable. “
The department said it would release a video of the arrest to the public after the family had a chance to watch it, but did not give a specific timeline.
“Premature release could interfere with the criminal investigation and the sentencing process,” Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said in a statement Monday.
Nichols, 29, was the father of a four-year-old son, a skateboarder and — like his stepfather — a FedEx employee who worked evenings. After seeing the photo, his stepfather said he believed Nichols ran from the police in the parking lot because he was afraid he would be killed by the police.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, said of the video: “It’s sad. It’s sad. It’s disgusting. It is violent.”
Fellow counsel Antonio Romanucci described Nichols as “a human piñata for these police officers.” As he spoke, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, broke down in tears and exclaimed, “My God!”
Crump said the Shelby County district attorney told him and the Nichols family that the video would not be released for a week or two while the investigation continues. As the police chief prepared the family to watch the video, Crump said: “I’m not proud of what you’re seeing.”
Nichols’ family has spent nearly two weeks since his death protesting, forcing the department to release surveillance footage and body cameras and calling for the officers to be charged. She shared a photo of Nichols’ battered face while in the hospital before she died.
His mother said Nichols suffered from Crohn’s disease and didn’t weigh 145 pounds. “No one was perfect, but they were pretty close. My son loved me to death,” she said. “My son did not use drugs. He didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t like to argue.”
The Department of Justice and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are conducting separate investigations into the arrest.
The Memphis Police Department has announced the dismissal of five police officers on Friday evening – a quick decision compared to many other inquiries that take place after the death of police officers in the United States. The department’s investigation found that the officers — all of whom are black — used excessive force, failed to intervene and render aid, in violation of department policy.
Seniors – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith – each joined the department within the past five years.
Tennessee House Minority Leader Karen D. Camper (D), whose district includes much of Memphis, praised what she called Davis’ “quick, decisive” action in removing the police. The revelation that all five are black has caused problems, he said.
“I think the citizens of Memphis were shocked,” Camper said. “They were very sad about that, and to some extent people were surprised because of their own feelings. How it changes the way it is, I don’t know. “
Crump said he feels he has a responsibility to fight for the rights of Americans who are injured by the police regardless of the officer’s race.
“What I’ve learned from doing civil rights work against high-enforcement policing is that it’s not the type of policing that leads to high-enforcement,” Crump said. citizen.”
