Certain Officers Use Their Power Negatively
In today’s world, it is not uncommon to see certain officers committing acts of violence across the U.S. This is incredibly unfortunate, as people rely on officers to help them and protect them. Instead, there are some that do the complete opposite. There have already been several victims of police brutality across the U.S. in the past years. However, there are protests and certain actions being done to raise awareness about these issues, yet nothing seems to change. Unfortunately, it seems that mostly the black and brown communities are primary targets of police brutality, and Tyre Nichols was unfortunately a victim of it.
What Occurred to Tyre Nichols?
What was supposed to be a normal traffic stop turned out to be violent, and ended up taking a life in the process. The Memphis Police Department stated that Nichols had been stopped for allegedly “reckless driving.” This is when the tension began to escalate. As he was stopped, there seemed to be an altercation between the officers and Tyre Nichols.
Nichols was injured during this traffic stop, in which he fled from the officers. Moreover, the officers chased him and then assaulted the young Black man. Clearly, Nichols was assaulted by these police officers, and in an incredibly brutal manner.
What Did the Autopsy Results Say About This Incident?
The autopsy reports had come back and coincided with what they had seen from the footage of that tragedy. Nichols’ cause of death was blunt force trauma, and listed his manner of death as a homicide, according to the autopsy. There were five officers that were at the scene with Tyre Nichols. However, some of the officers did not assault Nichols physically, they did not stop any of the actions the other police officers were committing. Therefore, they are just as much at fault as the officers that beat Tyre Nichols are.
The autopsy results also mentioned exactly what may have caused Nichols’ death. He died of blows to the head suffered when he was beaten by Memphis officers. Although he was attacked in other areas of his body, the amount of blows he received on the head is what may have caused his death. This is complete and utter police brutality, and these officers using their authority to try and justify the actions that they committed is tyranny to the highest degree. This is also incredibly unfair to the family of Tyre Nichols, as his life was taken by a senseless act of violence and hatred. No person should have to go through something of this magnitude, let alone those that are there to serve and protect.
The Future of Policing, and Tyre Nichols’ Family
This is a huge blow to policing not only in Memphis but across the country. This is also a huge slap in the face for citizens of the U.S. It is known and understood that police officers serve and protect our country, not take advantage of their power. Although it is true that not all officers are of this nature, the fact that there are officers who want to abuse their power is appalling, yet unsurprising.
When it comes to Tyre Nichols’ family, they took matters into their own hands to make sure something gets done. “Nichols’ mother has filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city, the police department, and Davis,” stated Kait8 News. Tyre’s family has also gotten help from the community to change the rules that officers follow. This will hopefully bring change not only to Memphis, but the entire United States as a whole.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
Fox News: Tyre Nichols’ autopsy report shows he died from blunt force trauma, DA’s office tells family
NBC News: Tyre Nichols autopsy reveals he died of blunt force injuries to the head
WSMV4 News: Tyre Nichols’ autopsy results released
Kait8 News: Tyre Nichols died of blows to the head, autopsy shows
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Leslee_atFlickr’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Victoria Pickering’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
