**Five Memphis Police Officers Implicated in Death of Tyre Nichol After Its ‘Appaling’ Arrest**
Five Memphis Police officers, all of African descent, have been charged and jailed on Thursday (01.26.2023) for their involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols, in January in the Southern United States, a few days after his “appalling” arrest, authorities reported.
Steve Mulroy, an attorney for the case, announced that the officers were charged with murder and assault. The accused were fired the week prior. During an internal investigation, it was found that the officers used excessive force. Other officers are under investigation, and video of the arrest is set to be released on January 27 after 6 pm local time.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the family, welcomed the news and said “It gives us hope. In the meantime, we will continue to demand justice for Tyre.”
The President, Joe Biden addressed the matter in a statement on Thursday, appealing for a “prompt, complete and transparent investigation” of the case, and asked for the protests that can be unleashed to be “peaceful”.
Tyre Nichols, aged 29, was originally arrested for a traffic violation. The details remain unclear, but the force noted in a report that a “confrontation took place” and that the suspect “fled”. However, lawyers for the family have described the incident as a “beating, pure and simple, without interruption, of this young man for three minutes”
The case brings remembrance of the death of George Floyd in May 2020 during a similar police intervention, and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, against racism and police violence.
