Tyre Nichols' autopsy reveals he died from blunt force trauma to the head

Lucas Finton and Gina Butkovich, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read
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Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old motorist who died after being brutally beaten by Memphis Police officers, was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, the autopsy report revealed Thursday.

Nichols' family viewed the autopsy report Wednesday, nearly four months after Nichols' death, and attorney Ben Crump said the manner of death was homicide. The attorneys said the autopsy report was similar to an independent one conducted in January. That report said Nichols "suffered extensive bleeding."

The report was done by Dr. Laura Bagwell and Dr. Marco Ross at the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center.

The blunt force injuries to Nichols' head left him with hemorrhaging in his brain, caused from the brain smashing into the inside of his skull.

In addition, he had multiple bruises and cuts throughout his body.

"The decedent was a 29-year-old man who was struck multiple times during a law enforcement encounter," the summary of the report read. "He subsequently became unresponsive...He remained unresponsive on the ventilator. He developed acute kidney injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation and liver failure. Three days after hospital admission, brain death was pronounced and he expired."

Administrative hearing records, used to decertify Lt. Dewayne Smith from being a Memphis police officer in the state of Tennessee, show that Smith told Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, that her son was being arrested for driving under the influence. Those records said Smith, the supervisor on the scene, had no evidence to prove that.

Toxicology reports in the autopsy show that Nichols had a blood-alcohol level of .049%, well below the Tennessee legal limit of .08%. The reports also show Nichols had a trace amount of marijuana in his system.

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“Video of this killing stunned the world, and we are once again stunned to see it put into words by the medical examiner," Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for Tyre Nichols' family, said in a written statement Thursday afternoon. "Tyre suffered blunt force injuries to the head, neck, torso, and extremities by Memphis Police. The utter brutality of the deadly beating that Tyre suffered is once again highlighted in these official autopsy results – no part of this young man was spared as he was tortured to death by these officers.”

Nichols was first pulled over in a traffic stop, which was initially said to be for reckless driving. That claim was later walked back by Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis, who said there was no evidence to say Nichols had committed any crime.

During the initial stop, two officers from MPD's SCORPION Unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, pulled Nichols from his car and dragged him to the ground. A third SCORPION Unit officer arrived as Nichols was being pulled to the ground and held his legs down.

Eventually, after officers yelled conflicting commands at Nichols, he jumped up and began to run away. At that point, former-Officer Preston Hemphill fired his taser at Nichols.

Photos by Tyre Nichols along with a sign stating “justice for Tyre” are displayed outside of Memphis City Hall during a rally in support of police reform and to call for the ordinance drafted by Allan Wade, the attorney who represents Memphis City Council, to not be passed in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, April 10, 2023.
Photos by Tyre Nichols along with a sign stating “justice for Tyre” are displayed outside of Memphis City Hall during a rally in support of police reform and to call for the ordinance drafted by Allan Wade, the attorney who represents Memphis City Council, to not be passed in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, April 10, 2023.

Nichols kept running towards his mother's home with officers in pursuit. An officer caught up to him about 1,000 yards from his mother's home. Officers proceeded to punch, kick, pepper spray and hit Nichols with a baton. He was left bruised and bleeding when officers dragged his body across the pavement and leaned him against an unmarked police car.

Over the next 20 minutes, officers milled around the area as Nichols slouched over by the car. When emergency medical technicians arrived, they appeared to not provide much attention to Nichols. Eventually he was taken to St. Francis Hospital via ambulance in critical condition. He died three days later.

Five now-former MPD officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith — face criminal charges, including second-degree murder and kidnapping. Hemphill, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced Tuesday morning, will not face criminal charges.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tyre Nichols autopsy: Cause of death was blunt force trauma to head