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Memphis authorities have released police bodycam footage from a Jan. 7 traffic stop that preceded the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who spent three days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries, according to authorities.
On Jan. 8, District Attorney General Steve Mulroy requested that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conduct an outside investigation into the deadly encounter.
Nichols ran from officers after a traffic stop at Raines and Ross Roads at 8:22 p.m., TBI said in a statement Thursday.
Police caught up with him again at Castlegate Lane and Bear Creek Cove, less than a half-mile away, and allegedly beat him for three minutes straight, sending him to the hospital with critical injuries.
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The city's police department last week fired five officers involved in the incident: Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith.
Each of them faces more than half-dozen charges, including second-degree murder, according to the TBI. All five surrendered to state authorities Thursday and later posted bond.
Nichols was a FedEx worker with a 4-year-old son who enjoyed photography and skateboarding, according to his family's attorney, Ben Crump.
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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."
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.
"I would have to say that this video illustrates images that I've never seen in my career before perpetrated by police officers," she said.
TBI Director David Rausch, who also saw the video before its release, described it as "appalling."
"What happened here does not, at all, reflect proper policing," he said in a statement Thursday. "This was wrong. This was a crime."
"The actions of these officers were awful, and no one, including law enforcement, is above the law," Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a video posted to Facebook Thursday. "I assure you we will do everything we can to keep this type of heinous act from happening again."
The former officers could face up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
Fox News' Lauren Blanchard and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
source https://www.foxnews.com/us/tyre-nichols-bodycam-memphis-authorities-release-video-deadly-traffic-stop
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