Department of Justice launches review into Tyre Nichols’ death
In the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man fatally beaten by Memphis police officers, the U.S. Justice Department will participate in a review of the city’s police department.
That review was disclosed in a bulletin by Memphis mayor Jim Strickland.
He wrote that the DOJ along with an association of police executives would take part in an “independent external review” requested by the city to address the department’s special units and use-of-force policies.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Video released last month showed five now-former Memphis officers beating the unarmed Nichols with fists and batons as they shouted commands at him.
Throughout, Nichols can be heard crying out for his mother. He was hospitalised and died of his injuries three days later.
The five officers, all of them Black, have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and other crimes.
Nichols’ death has further fuelled an ongoing national debate in the United States about race and police brutality.
At her son’s funeral, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, called on lawmakers to pass police reform legislation.
Wells is due to attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday in Washington. #trending #featured
