Video footage released by the City of Memphis on Friday shows how Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, suffered a severe beating after a traffic stop by officers of the Scorpion unit on Jan. 7. Mr. Nichols died three days later.
An annotated satellite image of the Memphis neighborhood where Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by police officers shows a timeline of the encounter, from the traffic stop to the beating.
E. Raines Rd.
North
About 8:24 p.m.
Officers confront Tyre
Nichols at a traffic stop.
Brandywine
Nichols’s
mother’s
house
Ross Rd.
About 8:25 p.m.
Nichols runs toward
his mother’s house.
About 8:33 p.m.
Officers beat Nichols for
about three minutes.
Tenn.
100 meters
Memphis
MEMPHIS
North
E. Raines Rd.
About 8:24 p.m.
Officers confront
Tyre Nichols at
a traffic stop.
Nichols’s
mother’s
house
BRANDYWINE
Ross Rd.
About 8:25 p.m.
Nichols runs toward
his mother’s house.
About 8:33 p.m.
Officers beat
Nichols for about
three minutes.
Tenn.
Memphis
The New York Times; aerial image by Google
Here are some key moments from the encounter. The footage includes extremely violent scenes.
About 8:24 p.m. Officers confront Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop.
Officers stop Mr. Nichols at the intersection of East Raines Road and Ross Road and push him to the ground. As officers wrestle with him, Mr. Nichols can be heard saying, “I didn’t do anything.”
From video released by the City of Memphis
The Memphis Police Department initially said that Mr. Nichols had been stopped on suspicion of reckless driving. However, the Memphis police chief, Cerelyn Davis, said in an interview with NBC that the department had not been able to confirm why Mr. Nichols had been stopped.
About 8:25 p.m. The first struggle occurs, and Mr. Nichols flees.
Several officers try to forcefully pin Mr. Nichols to the ground, shouting expletives and threats. Mr. Nichols can be heard saying: “OK! I am on the ground,” and: “You guys are really doing a lot right now. I'm just trying to go home.”
Seconds later, officers appear to use a stun gun on him. He breaks free and starts running south on Ross Road, with at least two officers running after him.
Image from video released by the City of Memphis
About 8:29 p.m. Backup arrives.
At least two police cars arrive at the intersection where Mr. Nichols was initially stopped. The officers ask for his location.
An officer on an audio recording from the Memphis police dispatch center can be heard asking for backup: “Any other Scorpion car: Pull over to East Raines and Ross. We have one running on foot.”
About 8:33 p.m. Officers beat Mr. Nichols repeatedly for about three minutes.
One of the four videos released by the city of Memphis shows Mr. Nichols already on the ground less than half a mile from where the traffic stop occurred. Officers slap and push Mr. Nichols, who screams, “Mom!” Mr. Nichols’s mother’s house is 60 yards away.
From video released by the City of Memphis
A police officer sprays Mr. Nichols in the face with a chemical spray. “Give me your hands!” yell the officers, as Mr. Nichols tries to wipe his face. “All right, all right,” he says, and moves to put his hands behind his back. “Watch out, I’ll spray your eyes again,” one officer says as he sprays Mr. Nichols another time.
Two officers pin Mr. Nichols while a third kicks him near his face at least two times. “Hit him!” one officer yells as another circles Mr. Nichols, beating him with a baton.
Image from video released by the City of Memphis
The struggle continues for several minutes as officers shove and drag him. At least one officer punches Mr. Nichols, who is now standing, several times in the head.
Mr. Nichols staggers around, restrained at both sides, and then collapses, and officers pin him face down. He remains there for almost two minutes.
Throughout the struggle, Mr. Nichols appears to have been kicked violently at least twice in the face, beaten three times with a baton, sprayed in the face twice with a chemical and punched in the head six times, all within the span of three minutes.
About 8:37 p.m. Mr. Nichols is handcuffed and immobile.
Mr. Nichols is eventually handcuffed and is critically injured. Officers drag him to a nearby car and prop him up in a seated position. At one point, Mr. Nichols slumps to the ground, and an officer props him back against the car.
From video released by the City of Memphis
About 8:41 p.m. After medics arrive, 16 minutes pass before first aid is provided.
Two medics arrive on the scene a few minutes after Mr. Nichols is placed against the car and check on Mr. Nichols, but they do not appear to be in a hurry. Almost 16 minutes later, medics appear to open their medical bags for the first time, and provide aid. Minutes later, officers bring in a stretcher, and an ambulance arrives at about 9:02 p.m. In total, he remains at the car for more than 24 minutes as officers walk around.
About 9:18 p.m. Mr. Nichols is transported to St. Francis Hospital.
Mr. Nichols complains of shortness of breath and is taken to St. Francis Hospital, about six miles away. An autopsy report later found that he “suffered excessive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”
The Aftermath
Five police officers who were involved — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were fired. The officers, who are Black, were charged on Thursday with second-degree murder and kidnapping, among other charges.
Several officials have criticized the excessive use of force, and a separate federal civil rights investigation is also underway. Ms. Davis, the Memphis police chief, described the incident in a news conference as “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”
Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis announced on Friday that the Scorpion unit, whose members were responsible for the death of Mr. Nichols, had been inactive since the incident and that all Memphis Police Department special units were facing independent review.
