Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died last month after being viciously assaulted by Memphis police during a traffic check, was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the service inside Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in the city at the request of the Reverend Al Sharpton, who delivered an impassioned eulogy.
Kamala Harris: 'Tyre Nichols Should've Been Safe'
Per Yahoo News, Sharpton stated of the police involved in Nichols' killing, "You don't fight crime by becoming criminals yourself."
Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, and Spike Lee attended the funeral, which was delayed by an ice storm and lasted more than three hours. Before addressing the congregation at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, Harris embraced Nichols' mother.
The vice president stated that the police officers charged with the killing of Nichols swore to protect the people, VOA News reported.
"This is a family that lost their son and their brother through violence at the hands and the feet of people who had been charged with keeping them safe. Tyre Nichols should have been safe," Harris said.
As Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd sat in the crowd, Harris and Sharpton both asked Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The measure, named for the Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, has made a lot of progress, including the prohibition of chokeholds and no-knock warrants and the simplification of charging offenders.
The pastor of the Boulevard Christian Church, the Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, described Nichols, 29, as "a decent guy, a lovely soul, a son, a father, a brother, a friend, a human being" who passed all too soon. Before the pandemic, Nichols relocated to Memphis from California, where he grew up.
Friends recalled him last week as happy, compassionate, quick to grin, and frequently goofy. RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother and stepfather of Nichols, had invited the relatives of those slain by the police. Sharpton began his eulogy by acknowledging the deceased.
Tyre Nichols Death Investigation
Five cops were terminated and prosecuted in connection with the killing of Nichols. Two other cops received disciplinary action, and three emergency responders were terminated. In addition, the Memphis Police Department dissolved a particular unit comprised of six implicated officers. The organization has targeted violent offenders in high-crime regions.
Multiple recordings released by authorities contradict charges made in a Memphis police report regarding the traffic stop of Tyre Nichols that he attempted to seize a police officer's pistol and was belligerent and hostile, as per NBC News.
A representative for Shelby County stated that District Attorney Steve Mulroy has a report detailing the same events and that the Memphis Police Department is anticipated to issue the formal report within days. The spokesperson for the district attorney stated that there have been issues regarding the presence of additional police and the possibility of false reporting and that the DA is investigating all of these matters.
Nichols, a 29-year-old amateur skateboarder, and photographer, died three days after being savagely beaten by cops during a traffic check on January 7. Five deactivated Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder, and their Scorpion squad has been decommissioned permanently.
Since the incident, three EMTs have been discharged by the Memphis Fire Department and two more police officers. The report does not note that cops repeatedly kicked and struck protesters, acts captured on video released by Memphis last week.
Related Article : Tyre Nichols Death Investigation Update
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