Attorneys for the family of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee, said video footage shows he suffered a “nonstop beating” at the hands of police.
“He was defenseless the entire time. He was a human piñata for those police officers. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said during a news conference Monday after Nichols’ family and legal team viewed footage of his arrest this month, giving them an opportunity to see what happened before he was taken in critical condition to a hospital, where he died days later.
“What I saw on the video today was horrific,” said Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather. “No father, mother should have to witness what I saw today.”
The Memphis Police Department has terminated five police officers, all of whom are Black, after an administrative investigation found they violated department policies for use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid, the department said in a statement.