Tire Nichols: cause of death, autopsy and injuries under investigation

Ben Crump Twitter/GoFundMe

Tire Nichols.

Tire Nichols was a man from Memphis, Tennessee who died on January 7, 2023 after an incident of violence involving Memphis police officers described by the police chief as “abhorrent” and “inhuman” physical abuse. The official cause of death and autopsy as of January 28, 2023 have not been released. CNN reported.

Nichols’ mother said CNN He suffered cardiac arrest, kidney failure and a broken neck.

An independent autopsy found that Nichols suffered “profuse bleeding from severe beatings.” a press release by family attorney Ben Crump. CNN reported that the full independent autopsy report has not yet been released either.

Crump tweeted that Nichols was “bludgeoned to death during a traffic stop.”

Memphis Police Department bodycam video released January 27, 2023, showed several officers beating Nichols. You can watch it herebut be warned it’s graphic and disturbing.

According to CBS NewsNichols, 29, worked at FedEx and was a father and a skateboarder.

The chief of police said in a video statement that five officers had been fired; they were named in a press release from the Memphis Police Department as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. They were all hired between 2018 and 2020, the police press release said.

They were found to have “violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to assist,” according to the January 20, 2023 press release.

The five officers were criminally charged with second-degree murder and other charges. according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Here’s what you need to know about Tire Nichols’ cause of death:

Tire Nichols went into cardiac arrest and his kidneys failed, his mother says

Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, described his condition to CNN.

Spring to CNN: “They hit my son like a pinata. These men, when you add up their weights, all of them – it was over 1000 pounds to beat and beat a 150 pound person to death.

“The doctor went on to tell me that my son went into cardiac arrest and that his kidneys were failing,” she told CNN. “It doesn’t sound consistent when someone is being teased or pepper sprayed.”

Wells added to CNN, “By the time my husband and I got to the hospital and I saw my son, he was already gone. They had beat him to a pulp.” She told the network that Nichols “had bruises all over. His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck burst from the swelling. You broke his neck.”

On a GoFundMe page Established as the Tire Nichols Memorial Fund, his mother wrote:

During my son’s interaction with the police, they beat him beyond recognition until he passed out. He was then taken to a hospital and given immediate life support. He died 3 days later but I believe my son died on January 7th the moment these 5 black cops from Memphis stopped Tire and beat him to death for no good reason. His cousin who saw him in the hospital swollen and disfigured like he was some creepy monster.

CNN reported that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation “announced that Nichols died from injuries sustained in an ‘violent incident'” citing this tweet. The tweet in question only states,

UPDATE: Today the person involved in Saturday’s incident of violence involving Memphis Police Department officers, Tire D. Nichols (DOB 6/5/93) of Memphis, succumbed to his injuries. This remains an active and ongoing investigation.

Strongly contacted the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office, but it is closed on weekends.

This is according to press releases from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigatione, the first encounter between Nichols and the Memphis Police Department “occurred at approximately 8:22 p.m. during a traffic stop at the intersection of Raines Road and Ross Road, where evidence shows Nichols fled from officers during a physical altercation.”

A second encounter “occurred a short time later near Castlegate Lane and Bear Creek Cove, which also included a physical encounter after which Nichols, 29, was rushed to a Memphis hospital with serious injuries. On January 10, doctors pronounced him dead,” the TBI press release said.

Evidence identified the five officers as the “men who caused Nichols’ injuries,” according to TBI.

The officers were “each charged with seven counts: second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping causing bodily harm, aggravated kidnapping in possession of a deadly weapon, official misconduct, official misconduct – waiver and official suppression,” TBI reported.

Police chief says five officers were involved in ‘physically abusing’ Nichols

Cerelyn David, Memphis Police Chief said in a video statement that five Memphis, Tennessee police officers were fired.

“It has been determined that these officers are directly responsible for Mr. Nichols’ physical abuse,” she said in the video. She added that other officers are still under investigation for violating department policies.

“I pledge full and complete cooperation” to determine the “full body of facts” that contributed to Nichols’ death, the chief said in the video.

“This is a failure of a basic humanity towards another person,” she said, calling the officers’ actions despicable, inconsiderate and inhumane and a “contempt for basic human rights.”

“The video was released because it was important to the community and Tire’s family as they want the world to witness them and feel their pain,” said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy it says in a press release. “But as we witness the tragic end of Tire’s life, I also challenge you to remember Tire Nichols as his family does: with his big smile, his skateboarding, and his love as a family member.”

Davis told CNN police were unable to “substantiate the probable cause of Nichols’ reckless driving prior to the fatal encounter.”

Nichols was an aspiring photographer who published photos on his website. He wrote:

My name is Tire D Nichols. I’m an aspiring photographer. Well, I do this stuff mostly for fun, but I really enjoy it. Photography helps me see the world more creatively. It expresses me in ways I can’t write down for people. I do different types of photography, from action sports to rural photography to water and my favorite landscape photography. My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I see through my eye and through my lens. People have a story to tell as to why they are not holding on instead of doing the “norm” and writing it down or speaking it. I hope that one day people will be able to see what I see and hopefully admire my work based on the quality and ideals of my work. With that in mind, enjoy my site and let me know what you think.

CONTINUE READING: Massachusetts nurse Lindsay Clancy accused of strangling her three children.