Memphis police have released bodycam footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 25-year-old Black man who was killed during a traffic stop in the city last week.
The video shows officers using force to take Nichols into custody. In the video, Nichols can be heard screaming for help and officers can be heard telling him to “stop resisting.”
The Memphis Police Department has said that the officers involved in the arrest followed protocol and that Nichols’ death was a result of “medical distress.”
However, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Nichols family, said the video shows that the officers used excessive force and that the family wants the world to see how Nichols was “brutalized” during the arrest.
The incident has sparked outrage in the city and beyond, with NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, speaking out against police brutality and calling for an independent investigation into Nichols’ death.
The Memphis Police Department has said it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident.