The Chief of Police in Memphis, United States, announced on Saturday the dismantling of the unit that officers caught on video belonging to Tire Nichols, who died in a hospital three days later.
Cerelyn Davis said Nichols’ family members, community leaders and law enforcement officials were consulted.
Video of the fatal beating of young Tire Nichols by five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee sparked protests in cities across the United States on Friday. Hundreds of people came out to protest in New York, Atlanta, Washington DC and Detroit.
Police have released video of officers assaulting Nichols, pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. The most notable footage is from a surveillance camera mounted on a street lamp post, which shows the officers kicking Nichols, also in the head, and beating him with a bat.
US President Joe Biden was “outraged” after watching the videos and appealed to people not to resort to violence to express their “justified” anger.
The officers involved in the beating were fired from the force and face a raft of criminal charges over Nichols’ death.
Attorney General Merrick Garland promised Friday an investigation into Nichols’ death and also called for all protests to be peaceful.
Police in the US have been accused by human rights groups of disproportionate use of force against the country’s black population.
Nearly a third of all people killed by police in the US in 2021 were African American, despite making up only 13% of the country’s population.
Source: DN
