On the same day that charges are announced against the officers, the city says that the video will finally be released to the public sometime on Friday evening. So this sense of anticipation and really this sense of anxiety are really building in Memphis now. After school activities have been closed across the city, extra law enforcement from around the state has been summoned to Memphis to be on standby. And on Friday night, as promised, the video is released.
This episode contains descriptions of violence and strong language.
Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old Black man who lived in Memphis. His mother described him as living a simple and pleasant life. He worked for FedEx, loved to skateboard, was an amateur photographer and had a 4-year-old son.
On the evening of Jan. 7, after a traffic stop, Mr. Nichols was violently beaten by the police, sustaining severe injuries. He died on Jan. 10.
For weeks, what exactly had happened was unclear. This weekend, videos of the encounter were released.
Guest: Rick Rojas, the Southern bureau chief for The New York Times.
Background reading:
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