Tyro Nichols death: Ex-Sacramento man's family pleads for peace

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title=s — FILE – Family members and supporters hold a photo of Tyr Nichols at a press conference in Memphis, Tennessee, Jan. 23, 2023. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, that a federal investigation into the death of a black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police, “may take some time.” Speaking at a news conference, US Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said his office is working with the Justice Department’s civil rights division in Washington to investigate the case of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after his Jan. 7 arrest. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Gerald Herbert

AP

Authorities are set to release body camera video Friday afternoon that shows the events leading up to the death of Tyro Nichols, a 29-year-old black man allegedly beaten by five police officers earlier this month after stopping a peaceful protest by Nichols’ parents.

Nichols, who grew up in Sacramento and still has family in the area, was critically injured during a Jan. 7 standoff with five officers in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols died of his injuries on January 10 at the hospital.

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

d48685b8-1244-437a-8ce5-51582f0f26af — In this combination of booking images provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, from left are Tadarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. 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 struggling with officers during a traffic stop, records showed Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office via AP) AP

“The family is very pleased with the process, the police chief, the prosecutor’s office — they moved very, very quickly in this case,” Nichols’ father, Rodney Wells, said during a press conference Friday morning led by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. and Memphis community leaders. “We’re very, very happy with it.”

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis called the incident “disgusting, reckless and inhumane” in a statement Wednesday and said the body camera video would be made public in order to be transparent.

The police department is expected to release video of the incident around 4:00 PM PT.

“We want peace. We don’t want any noise,” Wells said during a live news conference. “We don’t want any disruption. 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 pretty horrifying,” said RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother. “I just want to ask for prayers for my family and this whole community.”

9ec357dc-13ba-49cf-b520-4fd5d64b776a — RowVaughn Wells, second from left, gets emotional during a press conference at Mount Olive Cathedral CME Church after watching video of the brutal police interaction that led to the death of her son, Tyree Nichols, in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 23, 2023. Brandon Diehl for The Washington Post via Getty Images

“If we look at how quickly the police chief and the police department stopped them, and we look at how quickly the district attorney brought charges against them in less than 20 days,” Crump said during a news conference Friday, “then we want to announce that this is the plan, going forward any officers – black or white – will be prosecuted.

“You can no longer tell us we have to wait 6 months to a year.”

Crump also called for a “Tyre’s Law,” which mandates officers to intervene when a crime is committed.

“I want to say to the five police officers who killed my son, you brought shame on your families, too,” RowVaughn Wells said Friday. “I’ll be praying for you and your families because at the end of the day this didn’t have to happen.”

7f1be18a-80f3-4d60-9173-d47f3b9cf2c3 — The Rev. Andre E. Johnson of Gifts of Life Ministries preaches during a candlelight vigil for Tyra Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Back left, Tyra’s mother, RowVaughn Wells, and his stepfather, Rodney Wells . Gerald Herbert AP

The community of Sacramento, the activists respond

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

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

“The (Greater Sacramento) NAACP applauds the Memphis District Attorney and Police Chief for quickly investigating, arresting and charging the officers involved in this heinous act,” the chapter said in a press release. “However, we continue to closely monitor whether these public servant accountability standards are applied consistently across racial lines in the United States.”

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

Moussaoui Young of Sacramento and others hold their cellphones in honor of Stephon Clark during a rally with his brother Stevante Clark outside City Hall Monday, June 1, 2020, in Sacramento, following days of violent demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Young, who said she has been working with Black Lives Matter for four days, said people should come together to fight against the corrupt police in Sacramento, “because they kill us, like we don’t matter, treat us , like cattle,” she said, “we need to stop this.î The California National Guard was called in and a citywide curfew was imposed, while the looting by various groups and the use of force by police that had previously been reported were largely absent. . JAVARIA MASCARENIAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com

The capital of California also became the site of many weeks of mass protests in the summer of 2020. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country, outraged by the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, took to the streets to demand an end to systemic racism and excessive use of force by police.

Friends and family members of Nichols in the Sacramento area plan to hold a candlelight vigil Monday night at Regency Park Skate Park near Bridgecross Drive and Lazzini Way in North Natomas. Nichols was an avid skateboarder.

This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 11:22 am.

Michael McGough anchors The Sacramento Bee’s breaking news team, covering public safety and other local stories. A native of Sacramento and lifelong resident of the capital, he interned at The Bee while attending Sacramento State, where he earned a degree in journalism.

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