Tyre Nichols

On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was fatally injured by five black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, and died three days later. The officers, all members of the Memphis Police Department SCORPION unit, pulled Nichols from his car before pepper spraying and tasering him. Nichols broke free and ran toward his mother's house, which was less than a mile (1.6 km) away. Five black officers caught up with Nichols near the house, where they punched, kicked and pepper sprayed him, and struck him with a baton. Medics on the scene failed to administer care for 16 minutes after arriving. Nichols was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. The officers reported that they stopped Nichols for reckless driving. The MPD released four edited video clips from police body cameras and a nearby pole-mounted camera. The MPD Police Chief later stated that the department had reviewed camera footage and could not find any evidence of probable cause for the traffic stop.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice both opened investigations into the incident. The autopsy determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death as homicide.

Paper hole punch, resin coating.

2020