Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old black man who was fatally injured by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee on January 7, 2023.
He died three days later.
The officers, members of the Memphis Police Department (MPD) SCORPION unit, pulled Nichols from his car before pepper spraying and tasering him.
Nichols broke free and ran toward his mother’s house.
However, five black officers caught up with Nichols near the house, where they punched, kicked and pepper sprayed him.
Additionally, they struck him with a baton.
Medics on the scene failed to administer care for 16 minutes after arriving.
Early life
Nichols was born in Sacramento, California on June 5, 1993.
He moved to Memphis in 2020 to work for FedEx.
Nichola was an amateur photographer with a photography website.
He was also a skateboarder and loved to photograph sunsets.
Nichols’ death sparked protests in Memphis and across the country.
The five officers were fired and charged with various felonies, including second-degree murder.
A sixth officer was fired on February 3 and another was suspended.
Nichols’ family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Memphis and the MPD.
The lawsuit alleges that the officers used excessive force and that the city failed to properly train its officers.
Nichols’ death is one of many high-profile cases of police brutality against Black people in the United States.
His death has reignited the debate about police reform and racial justice.
Tyre Nichols cause of death
Nichols died of blunt force injuries to the head.
The cause of his death was contained in an autopsy report released by the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Nichols died three days after he was brutally assaulted by police following a traffic stop in Memphis.
The autopsy report found that Nichols had multiple skull fractures, a brain hemorrhage and other injuries to his head and neck.
The report also found that Nichols had no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death.
