Yesterday, Saturday, the American Memphis police dissolved a unit to which the five policemen belonged, accused of causing the death of the 29-year-old African American after he was severely beaten, in a horrific incident that shocked the United States.

The killing of Tyree Nicholas re-launched the debate about police violence in the United States, where the memory of the killing of George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of a white policeman is still fresh in the mind, with the feeling that the huge demonstrations that followed the accident did not change anything.

The five policemen, who are themselves black, belong to the "Memphis Scorpion" unit, which was formed in November 2021 with the aim of reducing illegal activities in troubled neighborhoods by deploying more police officers in them.

"It is in everyone's interest to permanently disband Scorpion," Memphis police said in a statement on Saturday, adding that "the police officers in the unit agreed without reservation."

Nicholas' family welcomed the decision in a statement issued by their attorneys, saying it was "appropriate and commensurate with the tragic death of Tyre Nicholas and appropriate and just for all Memphis residents."

"We hope that other cities will take similar steps with police units (in troubled neighbourhoods) in the near future to start instilling greater confidence in their communities," the family added.

Earlier, Memphis Police Chief Cereline Davis, who established this unit, stated that "Scorpion" achieved successes in its beginnings, especially the decrease in crime in 2022 after homicides reached a record number with 345 murders in the previous year.

She told CNN that the Scorpion unit, whose name stands for the initials of "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods," aimed to "reduce Armed acts of violence, to have a visible presence in societies and to affect the increase in crimes.


Shocking video

Two days ago, the American city of Memphis showed a video recording of Nicholas being severely beaten by 5 police officers after they stopped his car earlier this month, while US President Joe Biden called on the protesters to keep their protests peaceful, expressing his understanding of their anger.

Nicholas, who later died of his wounds, appeared in the video, shouting, "Mom...Mom," while the five officers - all of whom were black-skinned like him - attacked him with punches and batons.

The video was posted online and filmed through body cameras and other cameras.

And with the appearance of the video recording and its broadcast on the media on Friday evening, a number of demonstrators gathered in Memphis, chanting, "No justice.. No peace."

Dozens of protesters marched along Interstate 55 and blocked traffic near a bridge over the Mississippi River into Arkansas.

US President Joe Biden said that he feels "extreme anger and pain" because of these scenes, adding that they "will make people's anger justified."

Biden repeated his call to the demonstrators to remain peaceful, saying, "Those who seek justice should not resort to violence or vandalism."

And in 2022, two years after the death of George Floyd, the number of people killed in contact with the police reached a record high, with 1,186 deaths, the highest in 10 years, according to the Mapping Police Violence website.

The policemen involved in Nicholas' murder were sacked, charged with murder and sent to prison.

Four of them were later released on bail.