Five police officers charged with murder after 'appalling' arrest of African American
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy during a press conference on January 26, 2023. AP - Mark Weber
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2 mins
These Memphis (Tennessee) police officers, all African-Americans, are facing several charges, including murder, assault and kidnapping, after the death of an African-American a few days after his early arrest. January.
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Joe Biden called for calm on Thursday as protests mount around the fatal arrest in early January of Tire Nichols, 29, in Memphis, in the south of the country.
“
As Americans mourn, the Justice Department investigates, and authorities continue their work, I join Tire's family in calling for peaceful protest.
Anger is understandable, but violence is never acceptable
,” the US president said in a statement, also calling for a “
quick, complete and transparent investigation
” into this tragedy.
The case dates back to January 7.
The police – since dismissed – had wanted to arrest Tire Nichols for a traffic violation.
As the officers approached, a “
confrontation had taken place
” and “
the suspect had fled
”, explained the police.
Caught up, Tire Nichols was finally arrested, but complained of having difficulty breathing and was hospitalized.
He died three days later.
The details of this arrest are not yet clear: a video of the facts exists, but has so far only been shown to the relatives of the victim and their lawyers.
According to them, “
the police beat him to the point that he was unrecognizable
”.
“
It is a pure and simple beating, without interruption, of this young man for three minutes
,” said Antonio Romanucci, one of the family's lawyers.
The five licensed agents
During the press conference on Thursday, the authorities avoided describing precisely the course of events, referring to the images.
But what happened was "
inadmissible
" and "
criminal
" and "
should not have happened
", hammered David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, saying he was "
shocked
" and "
disgusted
" by what he saw.
"
In a word, it's absolutely appalling
," he said.
The internal police investigation had shown that the five officers charged had used excessive force.
Other officers are still under investigation.
The officers involved are "
directly responsible for the physical abuse committed on Mr. Nichols
," Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said Wednesday, saying it was "
not just a professional error, but of a lack of humanity
.
The case finds a particular echo in a country still marked by
the death of George Floyd
, in May 2020, and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, against racism and police violence, which followed.
And the drama has reignited the debate on police violence in the country.
Prosecutor Steve Mulroy thus hoped that this case “
could allow broader discussions on the need for police reform
”.
(
With
AFP)
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