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January 26, 2023

"Heinous, Reckless and Inhumane": Memphis Police Chief Condemns Tyre Nichols's Killing by Officers
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In Tennessee, the chief of the Memphis Police Department has condemned
the killing of Tyre Nichols, who died of kidney failure and cardiac
arrest on January 10, three days after his violent arrest following a
traffic stop. Five Memphis police officers and two fire department
employees have been fired in the wake of Nichols's killing. An
independent autopsy found Tyre suffered extensive bleeding after
officers pepper-sprayed, tased, restrained, kicked and beat him for
three minutes. Police Chief C.J. Davis urged Memphis residents not to
turn to violence or property destruction after body-camera video of the
assault is released.

Police Chief C.J. Davis: "This is a failing of basic humanity toward
another individual. This incident was heinous, reckless and inhumane.
And in the vein of transparency, when the video is released in the
coming days, you will see this for yourselves."

A federal prosecutor has launched a civil rights probe into the killing.
A 2016 lawsuit says one of the five officers accused in Tyre's beating
allegedly assaulted a prisoner. 


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