Reaction swift after Tyre Nichols police footage released; ‘These men were street fighting,’ former cop says
Public figures and law enforcement officials across the country reacted online to the Friday night release of police bodycam footage that showed the violent encounter between Tyre Nichols and five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Memphis Police Department released the footage of the Jan. 7 traffic stop that preceded the death of 29-year-old Nichols, who spent three days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries, according to authorities. Five Memphis police officers – Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith – involved in the encounter have been fired and face a slew of charges, including second-degree murder.
Officials across the country reacted after the release of the much-anticipated footage, which prompted law enforcement agencies across the country to prepare for potential protests or unrest.
In a statement, President Biden said he spoke with Nichols’ mother and stepfather Friday afternoon.
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“Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death,” he said. “It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”
Vice President Kamala Harris similarly referenced the graphic nature of the video, saying its contents “will forever be seared in our memories.”
“Tyre Nichols should have made it home to his family. Yet, once again, America mourns the life of a son and father brutally cut short at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve,” Harris said on Twitter Friday night. “The footage and images released tonight will forever be seared in our memories, and they open wounds that will never fully heal.”
The vice president added: “The persistent issue of police misconduct and use of excessive force in America must end now.”
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, also responded.
“The effort to separate the officers who murdered Tyre Nichols from the system of policing that produced them is palpable,” she tweeted. “Tyre Nichols should be alive. Charges alone aren’t justice. Change is.”
“Let’s call this footage what it is—murder,” U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, tweeted.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Florida, said it “Doesn’t matter what color those police officers are. The murder of Tyre Nichols is anti-Black and the result of white supremacy.”
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Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said the incident left him “heartbroken, horrified and appalled.”
“I am heartbroken, horrified and appalled by the heinous murder of Tyre Nichols. The repetitiveness of unjust murders is a stain on America. The five police officers betrayed their oath to serve and protect their community and they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Schumer said in a statement.
He added: “Tyre was a father, a son, a friend—a talented young man who should still be alive. We must honor his memory by both making sure these officers are prosecuted to fullest extent of the law and by bringing lasting, meaningful change to create a more just and fair America.”
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, said the “brutal violence” inflicted on Nichols was “horrific and inhumane.”
“For too long, we have witnessed these senseless acts by those sworn to protect us, and it must end,” he said in a statement. “This cannot be the America we strive for, and we must come together to meaningfully address it.”
“The footage released tonight is difficult to watch,” added U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Gavin Newsom of California also shared their thoughts.
“The hearts of Virginians and our entire nation ache tonight as we struggle with the horrible events in Memphis and grieve for Tyre Nichols and his family,” Youngkin said in a statement after the video’s release. “The disturbing and shocking video released this evening displays incomprehensible violence towards another human being and we must condemn these heinous actions.”
“Tyre Nichols should be alive today,” Newsom tweeted.
Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler and other city and county leaders said they felt “the rippling effects of this tragedy in our own communities as we all await the results of the pending investigation.”
In a tweet, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, said he was “outraged. And as someone who spent decades fighting for police diversity and against police abuse, I feel betrayed.”
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Martin Luther King III, son of the slain civil rights leader, said he was “deeply disturbed by the video released by Memphis Police today. We all witnessed a horrific yet perversely familiar act committed by officers of the law. Everyone involved must be arrested & charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols. His family and our nation deserve justice.”
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis called the incident “heinous, reckless and inhumane” but also urged calm. In an interview with Fox News Friday, shortly before the video’s release, she said she believed it goes beyond recordings of excessive force used against Rodney King in 1991 and George Floyd in 2020.
Even among law enforcement, the actions of the five officers has been widely condemned.
“The killing of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the five cowardly former Memphis police officers is repugnant and the complete antithesis of how honorable law enforcement professionals conduct themselves every day,” the union that represents Los Angeles police officers said in a statement.
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New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the video footage showed the “disgraceful actions depicted in the released video are an unequivocal violation of our oath to protect those we serve, and a failure of basic human decency.
Betsy Branter Smith, spokeswoman for the National Police Association, said the officers’ actions were not indicative of American law enforcement.
“Just saw the video. NOBODY teaches baton strikes above the shoulders, NOBODY teaches kicks to the head, NOBODY teaches the denial of medical aid,” she said.
“These men were street fighting, they were not acting as police officers. Instead of a conversation with (CNN host) Don Lemon, the chief really needs to review her hiring and training practices.”
Nichols was a FedEx worker with a 4-year-old son who enjoyed photography and skateboarding, according to his family’s attorney, Ben Crump.
Officials in Memphis and other big cities around the country are expecting demonstrations following the highly anticipated release of police bodycam video in connection with the case.
Speaking at a vigil Thursday evening, Nichols’ mother RowVaughn Wells urged supporters to protest peacefully.
“When that tape comes out tomorrow, it’s going to be horrific,” she said. “I didn’t see it, but from what I hear it’s going to be horrific.”
