Tyre Nichols, Victim of Vicious Attack: Pepper Spraying, Kicking, and Punching Caught on Police Bodycam

The footage was gotten from body cam and overhead cameras. In the clips, officers could be seen surrounding Nichols. They demanded he lay down and raise his hands. Nichols was lying on his side and an officer was on top of him.

Per TMZ, The 29-year-old was hesitant to turn flat on his stomach. An officer then threatened to use his taser. When Nichols got up and started running, one officer fired his taser but he escaped. 

They caught up with him 7 minutes later in a residential neighborhood. He was close to his family home and repeatedly called out to his mom. However, the officers punched, kicked, and beat him. Nichols was later handcuffed and struggled in pain for 20 minutes before he went limp. 

The footage was reviewed with Nichols' family by civil rights attorney Ben Crump before it was released. Crump, who is representing the victim's family, linked the beating to that of Rodney King in 1991. The officers involved were charged with kidnapping, second-degree murder, and other things.

Four out of the five officers posted bail and were released on Friday. The tragic incident is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice, along with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. President Biden, Memphis police, and Nichols' family have urged for a peaceful demonstration after the clips were released. 

Nichols, who was black, was stopped by five Memphis PD officers on January 7th around 8:24 pm. He was stopped at the intersection of East Raines Road and Ross Road. From the footage, Nichols could be heard saying he did nothing wrong.

He was stopped because he was suspected of driving recklessly. However, Cerelyn Davis, Memphis police chief said the department did not confirm why Nichols was stopped. Around 8:25, the first struggle occurred and Nichols fled 100 yards from his family home. 

At about 8:29 pm, two police cars arrived at the initial place Nichols was stopped and inquired about his location. From an audio recording from the Memphis police dispatch, an officer was heard requesting backup.

By 8:33 pm, Nichols was beaten repeatedly for three minutes by the cops. One officer sprayed a chemical spray on his eyes twice. He was then pinned down while one officer kicked him near his face twice.

While that was going on, another officer beats him with a baton. One officer then punched him six times in the head while he was standing. 

Around 9:18 pm, Nichols was transported six miles away to St. Francis Hospital. According to the autopsy report, Nichols suffered excessive bleeding which was caused by a severe beating.

There were five police officers involved. Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Demetrius Haley, and Tadarrius Bean. They were all fired and charged with second-degree murder among other charges. Officials criticized the excessive use of force and Davis called the incident "inhumane."