US authorities indicted five police officers who beat to death a black man in Tennessee after stopping him for a traffic violation.
Tire Nichols, 29, was stopped by police on January 7 for “reckless driving,” according to Memphis police records. After the chase, “the police assaulted him to the point of being unrecognizable,” family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement.
Nichols was taken to hospital in critical condition and died on January 10.
Five police officers involved in the incident, also people of color, were fired after an internal investigation found they had “violated multiple policies, including excessive use of force”.
Five police officers were charged in the fatal beating of a black man in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this month. Photo: Memphis Police.
“These officers are directly responsible for the physical abuse of Nichols. This is not only a failure of professionalism, but also a failure of humanity. This incident is cruel, reckless and inhumane. “, Memphis police chief, Cerelyn Davis, said January 25.
The five officers were also charged with assault and kidnapping. All are currently in custody awaiting trial.
David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, described the incident as “absolutely appalling” and “wrong, criminal”.
Racial injustice and police violence in the US received more attention after the death of George Floyd 2020. A 46-year-old black man died after being strangled by a white policeman over time. long.
“We can name all the victims of police violence, but we can’t name a law that has been passed to address that issue,” said Derrick Johnson, leader of a civil rights group.
Huyen Le (Theo AFP)