Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father and aspiring photographer, died after being beaten by several police officers in Memphis.
The incident was captured on a body cam footage that was later leaked to the public. According to an independent autopsy, Nichols died from cardiac arrest and kidney failure caused by extensive bleeding from the beating.
The incident occurred when police officers stopped Nichols for reckless driving. In the footage, the officers can be seen pushing Nichols to the ground while he protests that he has done nothing wrong.
One officer uses a stun gun/taser on him and Nichols can be heard screaming for his mother, who lives 60 yards away. Another officer uses pepper spray on Nichols and can be heard saying “Watch out, I’ll spray your eyes again”.
Nichols’ mother described him as “damn near perfect” and a person who loved skateboarding and photography.
He had a photography website where he shared his photos and wrote about his passion for capturing different types of photography including action sports, rural photos, bodies of water and landscapes.
He had a vision to bring his viewers deep into what he was seeing through his eye and out through his lens.
The video of Tyre Nichols getting beaten up by police officers was leaked on social media platforms and quickly went viral.
The video was reposted across multiple social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. @JackPosobiec on Twitter was one of the first people who shared the video that was released in Memphis.
Nichols’ mother spoke to a crowd and urged parents to not let their children watch the footage, calling for justice for her son.
She said, “I just want to ask for prayer from my family this whole community and I want to say to the five police officers who murdered my son, you all are a disgrace to your own families.
We want justice for my son. Free justice for Tyre. Justice for Tyre”. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability from the police officers involved.