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A timeline of events in the Tire Nichols case, which sparked state and federal investigations into police brutality and led to murder and other charges against the five officers involved in his arrest this month.
– January 7th: The police stop Tire Nichols for an alleged traffic violation after photographing a sunset, according to what his family would later recount. A confrontation ensues and he is brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers in an encounter recorded on police body cameras.
– January the 8th: Memphis police say in a statement that officers attempted to arrest a man for reckless driving on January 7 and took him to a hospital in critical condition after two clashes. The first description of what happened says a confrontation occurred as officers approached the vehicle and the suspect fled on foot. The officers gave chase and another confrontation ensued as he was taken into custody, police said. The subject complained of difficulty breathing and was taken to a hospital. Due to his condition, police contacted the Shelby County Attorney General’s Office, which asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation into the use of force.
– January 10: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the man involved in the altercation with Memphis officers has “succumbed to his injuries” and identifies him as Tire D. Nichols, 29, African-American.
– January 14: Family, friends and supporters of Nichols protest outside a Memphis police station, demanding that police release body camera video of the arrest. Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told local media that his stepson suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure as a result of being beaten by officers.
– January 15: Police Chief Cerelyn Davis states that she has reviewed the information regarding the incident and has decided to take immediate action by notifying the officers involved of the violations.
– January 16: Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump announces that he represents the Nichols family and calls on police to release body camera and traffic stop surveillance videos. Meanwhile, protesters gather at the Civil Rights Museum to push for the release of police footage and to call for the officers to be charged.
– January 18: The United States Department of Justice announces that it has opened a civil rights investigation.
– January 20: The five officers involved in the arrest are fired after an internal investigation concludes that they used excessive force, did not intervene and did not provide assistance. They are identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. All five are African American.
– January 23: The Nichols family watches the video of the police with their lawyers. It is said to show Nichols being beaten for three minutes in a “savage” encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. The video shows how Nichols was shocked, pepper-sprayed and restrained after being stopped just minutes from his house as he was returning from a suburban park, where he had taken photos of the sunset. Crump says the family has agreed to the investigators’ request to delay the release of the video so as not to jeopardize the criminal investigation.
– January 24: Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy says the release of the police video will be carefully timed to avoid the possibility of suspects or witnesses tailoring their statements to what they saw in it and asks the public for patience. The schedule upsets activists who had hoped the video would be made public after Nichols’ family saw it. Meanwhile, the Memphis Fire Department says two employees who were involved in Nichols’ initial care the night of his arrest have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation.
– January 25: Davis, the police chief, calls the actions of the officers “appalling, reckless and inhumane” and calls for citizens to peacefully protest when the video is released. In a statement posted on social media, she says other officers continue to be investigated for violating department policy and that “a full and independent review” of the department’s specialized units will take place.
– 26 of January: The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Mulroy says that each played a different role in the murder, but “everyone is responsible.” Mulroy also announces that the video of the traffic stop will be made public a day later. Nichols’ parents say they are satisfied with the charges against the officers. At a nightly candlelight vigil, Nichols’ mother pleads with her followers to “protest in peace” when the “horrifying” video is released.
– January 27th: Memphis authorities release video showing Nichols being assaulted by five officers who repeatedly beat him with their fists, boots and batons as he screams for his mother. The video is full of violent moments in which officers, who are also black, are seen chasing and beating Nichols, leaving him on the sidewalk leaning against a patrol car as they fist bump and celebrate his actions. Demonstrators gather in mostly peaceful protests in several cities, including Memphis, New York, and Washington.
*This article was adapted from its original in English
