Body cam footage of Tyre Nichols' death released by police

Memphis, Tennessee, city officials on Friday released body cam footage showing the beating of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers. The graphic video has sparked outrage and ignited protests across the United States.

The body cam footage shows the African-American motorist, 29, being pulled from his car by police officers after a traffic stop on Jan. 7. The officers, who are also all Black, are then seen beating Nichols, repeatedly hitting him with their batons, fists, and boots as he can be heard pleading with them to stop.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Additional angles of the attack caught on a corner street camera were also released by police, in which the five officers can be seen propping the bloodied Nichols against one of their cars, fist-bumping each other and celebrating as Nichols lay severely injured in the street.

Nichols would die from his injuries three days later, and the five officers involved were fired by the Memphis Police Department. All five have since been charged with murder in relation to Nichols' death.

The beating has received near-universal condemnation.

Attorneys for Nichols' family, as well as members of law enforcement, described the video as "absolutely appalling," "alarming," and "unconscionable," per Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis told MSNBC the video was "horrific, alarming, disappointing," and "sad."

The release of the video sparked numerous protests across the United States, the majority of which were seen to be peaceful. Demonstrations were seen in Chicago, New York, and Memphis, and were expected to grow throughout the weekend.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On
Explore More
Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.