Following outrage regarding the death of Tyre Nichols, social media users are sharing a video that shows alleged looting in a liquor store in Memphis, Tennessee, amid widespread protests.
The video, which has since garnered millions of views, comes as protesters across the United States call for justice for the brutal beating death of Nichols in the hands of Memphis police. However, independent fact-checking revealed that the footage did not match the claim, as it has been circulating since 2019.
Memphis Looting Video
Furthermore, Winnipeg police authorities noted that the video of looting inside the liquor store was captured in a Canadian city, not Memphis. One of the posts that shared the video on Twitter received more than 180,000 views.
The footage also comes after Memphis authorities released the video showing the scene of the police's encounter with Nichols on January 7. The 29-year-old Black man was sent to the hospital after the traffic stop. He died after only three days, as per AFP Fact Check.
Almost all law enforcement personnel involved in the incident have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. Furthermore, the brutal and horrific developments of the case have reignited calls for police reform in the country.
Similar posts have been shared to other social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, which shared the same video footage claiming there was looting in Memphis. They come as Memphis police released body cam recordings of Nichols' traffic stop and surveillance camera footage.
Some social media users blamed the Black Lives Matter organizers or Antifa, a loose coalition of anti-fascist activists, for the looting. They echoed narratives that people spread after the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers.
Tyre Nichols' Death
The recent looting video was found irrelevant to the Nichols' case after some people reverse image searched it and found that the same clip was posted online as early as November 11, 2019. According to Yahoo News, captions on these posts did not specify the time and place of the incident, but some commenters speculated that it occurred in Winnipeg.
The speculations were mainly due to the store's layout and the signage that was seen inside, as well as the uniform worn by an employee who could be seen in the background. Later, Winnipeg authorities confirmed the suspicions that it happened in their locale.
In an email, the media relations assistant for the Winnipeg Police Service, Ally Siatecki, said they could confirm that the video originated in Winnipeg several years ago. She added that while she did not have a source for the recording, the looting occurred at a Manitoba Liquor Mart.
The viral video comes as protests in Memphis remained largely peaceful after releasing body cam footage of Nichols' police encounter. Many people expected to see violent demonstrations. The police chief pleaded for peace in the area as some business owners decided to board up their storefronts and temporarily close, said Business Insider.
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