Tyre Nichols, who Memphis police brutally beat to death, honored at Sacramento skate shop
Over 100 friends and family members packed an indoor skate ramp at a Sacramento skate shop Saturday to remember Tyre Nichols, who died last month after five Memphis police officers bludgeoned him following a traffic stop.
It was the latest of several memorials across the U.S. for the 29-year-old Nichols, a father, videographer and skateboarder. Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, three days after the officers beat and pepper sprayed him and shot him with a Taser.
Nichols' case stands out among recent years' barrage of police shootings for the unusual efficiency with which the officers who beat him have been fired and charged. The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into his death.
The rush of memorials may also be due to the optimism and warmth attendees at Saturday's event said made Nichols beloved.
"He was the light we all needed when we were dark," Nichols' friend and fellow skateboarder Ryan Wilson said.
"I could never have a bad day with him around," Nichols' friend Auriela Rinauro said. "He just wouldn't let me.
Nichols was from Sacramento but moved to Memphis in 2020, where he lived with his mom, The Commercial Appeal reported. Friends at the memorial recalled skateboarding with Nichols when they were in middle school at Sacramento's Regency Park.
"He always said he was free when he was on that board," Nichols' mom, RowVaughn Wells, said.
Pictures projected on the wall at the memorial provided glimpses into Nichols' life: a grainy childhood photo of Nichols in a white cap and gown; an image of him in a vest and tie hugging someone at a festive event; and a black-and-white photo of Nichols reclining, looking down at a baby lying on his chest.
Friends, family and advocates took turns speaking about Nichols for nearly three hours.
"As I sit here and I listen to everything that everyone is saying about my son, it makes me feel so good. It makes me know that I did a good job," Wells said.
"My son. I'm going to miss him so much."
Betty Williams — president of the Sacramento NAACP, which helped organize the memorial — called for the swift consequences that the Black officers who assaulted Nichols received to be applied to abusive white officers, too.
"We would like that Black justice that they used for those Black officers (to be applied to white officers)," she said. "Now we know you can do it."
Toward the end of the memorial, Sacramento City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan announced that the skatepark where Nichols spent so many hours skating and filming with friends will be renamed Tyre Nichols Park.
"I can only imagine that he's at the heavenly gates," Williams said, "on that golden skateboard."
Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Tyre Nichols, killed by Memphis police, honored at Sacramento memorial
