MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan 28 (Reuters) – A special police unit that included five Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyr Nichols was disbanded on Saturday, as more protests took place in U.S. cities a day after video of the attack was released. Released.
The police department said in a statement that after the police chief spoke with Nichols’ family members, community leaders and other officers, it was permanently decommissioning the SCORPION unit. A police spokesman confirmed that all five officers were members of the unit.
The video, captured by police body-worn cameras and a camera mounted on a utility pole, shows Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, repeatedly yelling, “Mom!” Jan. 7 when officers kicked, punched and beat him in his mother’s neighborhood after a traffic stop. He was hospitalized and died of his injuries three days later.
Five officers involved in the shooting, all black, were indicted Thursday on murder, assault, kidnapping and other charges. All have been dismissed from the department.
Nichols’ family and officials have expressed their anger and grief, but have urged protesters to remain peaceful. That demand was met on Friday as scattered protests erupted in Memphis – where protesters briefly blocked an interstate highway – and elsewhere.
Cities across the United States witnessed new demonstrations on Saturday. Protesters in Memphis chanted “Whose streets? Our streets!” He called a police car to follow the march in anger, and many made obscene gestures. Some cheered loudly when they realized the SCORPION had disbanded.
[1/12] People protested near a police car in downtown Memphis after body camera footage was released showing the death of Tyros Nichols, a black man who died three days after police officers beat him to death during a traffic stop in downtown Memphis. Tennessee, US, January 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York’s Washington Square Park before marching through Manhattan, escorted by police officers.
Taken together, the four video clips released Friday show police beating Nichols despite no threat. The initial traffic stop was for reckless driving, although the police chief’s reason for the stop was not disclosed.
The SCORPION unit, short for Operation Street Crime to Restore Peace in Our Neighbourhood, was established in October 2021 to focus on crime hotspots. Critics say that such special groups can be exposed to brutal methods.
Friends and family say Nichols was a friendly, talented skateboarder who grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and moved to Memphis before the coronavirus pandemic. Nichols, the father of a 4-year-old son, worked at FedEx and recently enrolled in a photography class.
Nate Spates Jr., 42, was part of a circle of friends, including Nichols, who met at a local Starbucks.
“He liked what he liked, and marched to the beat of his own drum,” Nichols said, recalling that when he wasn’t working the late shift, he would go to a park called Shelby Farms.
Nichols’ death is the latest high-profile case of excessive force by police against blacks and other ethnic minorities. George Floyd, who died after a white Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. In 2020, the killing of a black man sparked international protests against racial injustice.
Reporting by Maria Cardona in Memphis, Tennessee and Diane Bartz in Washington; Writing by Joseph Ax; Edited by Cynthia Osterman, Robert Birsel
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