MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Reuters) – A specialized police force, including five Memphis police officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols, was disbanded on Saturday. Released.
In a statement, the police department said it would permanently disable the SCORPION unit after the police chief spoke with Nichols’ family, community leaders and other officers. A police spokesperson confirmed that all five officers were members of the unit.
Video recordings from police body-worn and pole-mounted cameras showed Nicholls, a 29-year-old black man, repeatedly yelling “Mom!” When police kicked, punched and batoned him in his mother’s neighborhood after a traffic stop on Jan. 7. He was hospitalized and died of his injuries three days later.
The five officers involved in the assault, all black, were charged Thursday with murder, assault, kidnapping and other charges. All were fired from their departments.
Nichols’ family and officials expressed anger and sadness but urged protesters to keep the peace. .
Cities across the United States saw renewed nonviolent demonstrations on Saturday. In Memphis, protesters yelled, “Whose street? Our street!” He angrily taunted a police car that was watching the march and made several obscene gestures. When I learned about the dissolution of SCORPION, a big cheer went up.
[1/12] In downtown Memphis, body camera footage has been released showing police beating Tyre Nichols, a young black man who died three days after being pulled over by a Memphis police officer during a traffic stop. After that, people protesting next to the police car. Tennessee, USA, January 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Washington Square Park in New York City, with a line of police officers walking beside them before marching through Manhattan.
Taken together, four video clips released Friday showed police beating Nichols even though he didn’t appear to pose a threat. The initial traffic stop was due to reckless driving, but the police chief said the cause of the stop was unproven.
The SCORPION unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods, was formed in October 2021 to focus on crime hot spots. Critics say such professional teams are prone to abusive tactics.
Friends and family say Nichols was an affable and talented skateboarder who grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and moved to Memphis before the coronavirus pandemic. Nichols, the father of a 4-year-old, works for his FedEx and recently enrolled in a photography class.
Nate Speights Jr., 42, was part of a circle of friends that included Nicholls, who met at a nearby Starbucks.
“He liked what he liked and marched to the beat of his own drum,” Speights said, going to a park called Shelby Farm to watch the sunset when Nichols wasn’t working his late shift. I remember going there.
Nichols’ death is the latest high-profile case of police using excessive force against blacks and other minorities. The 2020 murder of black George Floyd in Minneapolis, where a white Minneapolis policeman died after kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, fueled global protests against racial injustice I was allowed to.
Reporting by Maria Cardona of Memphis, Tennessee and Diane Bartz of Washington. Written by Joseph Ax.Editing: Cynthia Osterman, Robert Barthel
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