Authorities are investigating the recent death of a man following a confrontation with police officers during a traffic stop in Memphis.
Tyre Nichols, 29, of Memphis, was arrested on the evening of January 7 after officers attempted to make a traffic stop for reckless driving near the area of Raines Road and Ross Road, according to separate press releases from the Memphis Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
A confrontation unfolded as the officers approached Nichols, who ran away. Another confrontation occurred when the officers pursued Nichols and ultimately apprehended him, police said.
After the incident, Nichols “complained of having a shortness of breath” and was transported by ambulance to Memphis’ St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, according to police.
Due to Nichols’ condition, Shelby County District Attorney’s Office was contacted and TBI special agents were subsequently requested to conduct a use-of-force investigation, according to the TBI.
“All of that still should not occur because of a traffic stop. You shouldn’t be on a dialysis machine looking like this because of a traffic stop. That’s inhumane.”
The Memphis Police Department said at the time that the “officers involved will be routinely relieved of duty pending the outcome of” the TBI’s investigation.
Nichols “succumbed to his injuries” on January 10, the TBI said.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told WREG-TV on Saturday that his stepson ended up suffering a cardiac arrest and kidney failure because of a beating by officers.
“When we got to the hospital, it was devastating,” Wells said. “All of that still should not occur because of a traffic stop. You shouldn’t be on a dialysis machine looking like this because of a traffic stop. That’s inhumane.”
The death of Nichols, who is Black, has sparked protests outside the Memphis police station on Ridgeway Road, with calls to release footage from the officer-worn body cameras.
