Once again a police operation in the US caused horror, in which a black man was killed. Tire Nichols, 29, was beaten for several minutes by emergency services, one of the family’s lawyers, Antonio Romanucci, said at a press conference on Monday (local time).
Police say Nichols was pulled over in Memphis, Tennessee, for “reckless driving” in early January. According to the police, there had been “confrontations” – the man died in hospital a few days later. On Monday, the victim’s family was able to view the video of the police action. “He was defenseless. All the time. He was a human pinata to those police officers,” Romanucci’s lawyer said afterwards. He called the police’s actions racist. A piñata can be a figure that children usually hit with sticks until candy falls out.
Tire Nichols succumbed to injuries in hospital
The day after the check, on January 8, police said in a statement that there had been a “confrontation” when emergency services detained the 29-year-old. He eventually fled on foot, leading to another “showdown,” police wrote, without giving any specific information. The suspect eventually complained of shortness of breath and was taken to the hospital. There he succumbed to his injuries. The police have since released five officers involved in the operation, including for “excessive use of force”. Video of the incident has not yet been made public, but is expected to be made public in the coming weeks.
“My son was a good boy,” the 29-year-old’s mother, RowVaughn Wells, said at the news conference. He was a passionate skateboarder. “He just wanted to come home. He was two minutes from the house when they stopped him,” Wells said. The police “killed” him.
Comparison with the Rodney King case
Another family lawyer, Ben Crump, compared the case to that of Rodney King. In Los Angeles, the black man was beaten up by police in 1991 after a chase. The acquittal of the officials led to riots that left dozens dead. “Unlike Rodney King, Tire didn’t survive,” attorney Crump said. The video of the operation from early January was “appalling” and “disgusting”. “You can’t keep killing young black people at traffic checkpoints,” Crump said.
In the United States there are regular deadly police operations of a similar nature, representative of which is the case of George Floyd: in May 2020, the African-American was killed in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis. The case sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. Since then, there has always been dismay at similar cases.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
