Family of Tyre Nichols urge calm as police prepare to release video of fatal beating

Michael McGough
·4 min read
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With authorities set to release body camera video Friday afternoon showing the events leading to the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man allegedly beaten by five police officers earlier this month following a traffic stop, Nichols’ parents are calling for peaceful protest demonstrations.

Nichols — who was raised in Sacramento and still has family in the area — was severely injured during the Jan. 7 confrontation with the five officers in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols died of his injuries Jan. 10 at a hospital.

Prosecutors on Thursday announced that the five involved officers, all of whom are Black, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and other crimes. All five — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith — were fired by the Memphis Police Department last week.

This combo of booking images provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office shows, from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. The five former Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died three days after a confrontation with the officers during a traffic stop, records showed Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

“The family is very satisfied with the process, with the police chief, the D.A. — they acted very, very quickly in this case,” Nichols’ father, Rodney Wells, said during a Friday morning news conference led by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and Memphis-area community leaders. “We are very, very pleased with that.”

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis in a Wednesday statement called the incident “heinous, reckless, and inhumane,” and said body camera video would be made publicly available in an effort to be transparent.

The Police Department is expected to release video from the incident around 4 p.m. Pacific time.

“We want peace. We do not want any type of uproar,” Wells said during the live-streamed news conference. “We do not want any type of disturbance. We want peaceful protests. That’s what the family wants. That’s what the community wants.”

Attorneys for the Nichols family and some family members have already viewed the footage.

“I’ve never seen the video, but what I’ve heard is very horrific,” said RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother. “I just want to ask for prayer for my family and this whole community.”

RowVaugn Wells, second from left, becomes emotional during a press conference at Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church after she viewed footage of the violent police interaction that led to the death of her son Tyre Nichols Memphis, TN on January 23, 2023. Brandon Dill for The Washington Post via Getty Images
RowVaugn Wells, second from left, becomes emotional during a press conference at Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church after she viewed footage of the violent police interaction that led to the death of her son Tyre Nichols Memphis, TN on January 23, 2023. Brandon Dill for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Family members of Tyre Nichols, including sister Keyana Dixon, right, stand with Betty Williams, left, president of the greater Sacramento branch of the NAACP, along with other organizations, during a press conference at City Hall on Friday for the killing of former Sacramento resident Tyre Nichols. Nichols died on Jan. 10 after being beaten by Memphis law enforcement officers.

“When we look at how fast the police chief and police department terminated them, and we look at how swiftly the district attorney filed charges against them in less than 20 days,” Crump said during Friday’s news conference, “then we want to proclaim that this is the blueprint, going forward, for any time any officers — whether they be Black or white — will be held accountable.

“No longer can you tell us we have to wait 6 months to a year.”

Crump also called for the creation of “Tyre’s Law,” creating a duty for officers to intervene when a crime is being committed.

“I want to say to the five police officers who murdered my son: You also disgraced your own families,” RowVaughn Wells said Friday. “I’m going to pray for you and your families, because at the end of the day, this shouldn’t have happened.”

Rev. Andre E Johnson, of the Gifts of Life Ministries, preaches at a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Behind at left are Tyre’s mother RowVaughn Wells and his stepfather Rodney Wells.
Rev. Andre E Johnson, of the Gifts of Life Ministries, preaches at a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Behind at left are Tyre’s mother RowVaughn Wells and his stepfather Rodney Wells.

Sacramento community, activists respond

Nichols moved from Sacramento to Memphis in 2020. According to Sacramento community activist and Voice of the Youth founder Berry Accius, Nichols made the move to be closer to his mother.

The NAACP’s Greater Sacramento chapter plans a news conference Friday at 2:30 p.m., ahead of the video release, near Sacramento City Hall.

“The (Greater Sacramento) NAACP applauds the Memphis District Attorney and police chief for swiftly investigating, arresting, and charging the officers related to this heinous act,” the chapter said in a news release. “However, we continue to watch closely to see whether these standards of civil servant accountability are applied consistently across racial lines in the U.S.”

Sacramento became a national focal point of protests and calls for law enforcement reform after the fatal police shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark in March 2018.

Musaqoi Young, of Sacramento, and others hold up their cell phones to honor Stephon Clark during a rally with his brother Stevante Clark in front of City Hall on Monday, June 1, 2020, in Sacramento after days of heated demonstrations to protest the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Young, who said sheís been with Black Lives Matter for four days, said people need to unite to fight against corrupt police in Sacramento ìbecause theyíre killing us like we donít matter, they treat us like weíre cattle,î she said, ìwe need to stop this.î The California National Guard was called in and citywide curfew implemented, while the looting by divergent groups and use of force from police that marked earlier days was largely absent.

California’s capital city also was the site of weeks of large protests in the summer of 2020. Hundreds of thousands nationwide outraged over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police marched in the streets demanding an end to systemic racism and police excessive force.

Friends and family members of Nichols in the Sacramento area are planning a candlelight vigil Monday evening at Regency Park’s skate park near Bridgecross Drive and Lazzini Way in North Natomas. Nichols was an avid skateboarder.