(CNN) — Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested by Memphis officers on January 7 for alleged reckless driving, according to a police statement. He had a confrontation with Memphis police officers, and suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to preliminary results of an autopsy commissioned by attorneys for his family.
“We can state that preliminary findings indicate that Tire suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7. 2023,” attorney Benjamin Crump said in a statement.
CNN asked Crump for a copy of the autopsy commissioned by the family, but said the full report is not yet ready. Officials have also not released Nichols’ autopsy.
As officers approached the vehicle, a “standoff” occurred and Nichols fled on foot, police said. The officers gave chase and had another “standoff” before they took him into custody, police said. Nichols later complained of difficulty breathing, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died three days later, police said.
Why was Tire Nichols arrested?
Authorities have not released video of the arrest. However, lawyers for the family who saw him on Monday described it as an excruciating police beating that lasted three long minutes. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Nichols was electrocuted, pepper-sprayed and restrained, likening it to the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police.
The Memphis Police Department has fired five officers, all black, for violating policies on excessive use of force, the duty to intervene and the duty to render assistance, the department said.
“The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work our officers do, with integrity, every day,” Chief Cerelyn Davis said at the time.
federal investigation
In addition, two members of the city’s fire department were fired. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced an investigation into Nichols’ death, and the US Department of Justice and the FBI opened a civil rights investigation.
Nichols had worked with his father at FedEx for about nine months, his family said. He liked Starbucks, skateboarding in Shelby Farms Park and shooting sunsets, and he had his mother’s name tattooed on his arm. He also had Crohn’s disease, a digestive problem, so he weighed between 63 and 65 kilograms despite his 1.92-meter height, his mother said.
Nichols’ death on January 10 follows a series of recent high-profile cases involving police using excessive force towards members of the public, particularly black youth. Crump has previously represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor.
The family and lawyers viewed footage of the incident on Monday and said they were disturbed by what it showed.
“He was helpless the whole time. He was a human piñata for those policemen. It was an unadulterated, brazen, non-stop beating from this young man for three minutes. That’s what we saw on that video,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said. “Not only was he violent, he was savage.”
“What I saw on the video today was horrible,” Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said Monday. “No father or mother should have to witness what I saw today.”
Crump described the video as “appalling,” “deplorable” and “appalling.” He said Ravaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, was unable to view the first minute of footage after hearing Nichols ask, “What did I do?” At the end of the recording, Nichols can be heard calling his mother three times, the lawyer said.
CNN’s Dakin Andone and Pamela Kirkland contributed to this report.