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.
The officers can also be seen deploying pepper spray against Nichols as he lay on the ground, screaming for his mother. At one point, Nichols appears to try and get away from the officers, who chase him down and continue beating him.
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.