Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was restrained and beaten to death by five now-former Memphis police officers during a traffic stop. After countless marches, talks with politicians, and pending court cases, his family are still fighting for justice for their loved one.
“This year has been unbearable,” said his mother, RowVaughn Wells, at a vigil on Tuesday. “I had to listen to a cop tell people that they just stopped my son for nothing, that he was not a threat. We had to hear all of this. But what made it so difficult is the fact that it finally sank in that I would never see my son again.”
Released three weeks after his death, the video of Nichols’ brutal beating shook the nation, with then-President Biden calling Wells to express his condolences. Attorney Anthony Romanucci described Nichols as “a human piñata for those police officers.”
One of the most high-profile cases of police brutality of 2023, the widespread coverage of Tyre Nichols’ death helped shine a light on the long history of misconduct by the Memphis Police Deparment, and reignited the nation’s long-held conversation about police brutality.
As we approach the two-year anniversary of Nichols’ passing, here’s what you need to know about the case:
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