Another black man dies in the USA after a brutal attack by police officers. As with the murder of George Floyd, riots are to be feared.
Memphis / Munich – Is another wave of violence to be feared like after the murder of George Floyd? After the brutal death of Black Tire Nichols in a traffic stop in the US city of Memphis, fear of violent protests against police violence is growing in the United States. Five police officers have been arrested and charged after Nichols was fatally beaten, officials said. However, they should not be white, but African American like the victim. A video recording of the proceedings should be released on Friday evening (local time). US President Joe Biden called on the population to remain calm. The Democrat called for a speedy investigation.
Police violence in the USA: Police officers for the death of Tire Nichols in court
The five officers are suspected of beating 29-year-old Nichols to death during a traffic stop almost three weeks ago. They are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping, among other things. Second-degree murder is an intermediate stage between murder and manslaughter in the state of Tennessee, where Memphis is located. Kidnapping in this case refers to the illegal detention of a human being.
The death of Tire Nichols has been causing outrage among Americans for days. The 29-year-old was stopped in his car on the evening of January 7 because he was accused of dangerous driving. According to a police statement, a “confrontation” ensued and Nichols fled on foot. When the police caught him after a chase, another “confrontation” is said to have taken place. An ambulance was called because Nichols then complained of breathing difficulties.
Mother after hospital visit: police officers “beaten son to a pulp”
This is probably when the attacks happened: the black man was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and died there three days later. An autopsy commissioned by the family concluded that Nichols had suffered massive bleeding from “a severe beating.”
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, told the TV station CNN in tears, the police officers had “beaten her son to a pulp”. She asked, “Where was the humanity?” Crying, she described her son’s condition in the hospital: “His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck was strained to the point of bursting with swelling. You broke his neck.”
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis expressed her dismay at the 29-year-old’s death in an online video. The actions of the police officers were “disgusting” and “inhuman”. “This is not just a professional failure. This is a failure of basic humanity.”
The world is eagerly awaiting the evidence: for the sake of transparency, video recordings of the incident should be released on Friday evening around 6 p.m. (local time, 1 a.m. Saturday CET). Tennessee chief of police David Rausch said the footage was “absolutely appalling.” Police Chief Davis suspected the images would “shock” people. Authorities feared violent protests could break out.
Police violence in the USA: Video shows “three-minute, continuous beating attack on this young man”
President Biden said of the case, “As America mourns, the Justice Department conducts its investigation, and state agencies continue to do their work, I join Tire’s family in calling for the protests to be peaceful.” Anger is understandable, but violence is never acceptable, he added.
The exact circumstances of the alleged killing of Nichols were still unclear. The video was initially only shown to relatives and their lawyers. “This is a three-minute continuous beating of this young man,” said Antonio Romanucci, one of the attorneys. The charges against the officers give them “hope as we continue to demand justice for Tyre,” lawyers said.
In the USA, deadly police violence against black people causes horror and outrage again and again. Usually – if not in the case of Tire Nichols – white police officers are the perpetrators, as in the case of George Floyd, who was killed in an arrest in Minneapolis in May 2020. (cgsc with dpa)
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