Joe Biden urges calm ahead of police beating video release

• Tyre Nichols, 29, died a few days after a traffic stop on January 7.
• Five now-fired police officers are being accused of murder.
• Bodycam footage will be released Friday evening local time.

Joe Biden is pleading with demonstrators in Tennessee to maintain calm, as authorities prepare to disclose video of an arrest that resulted in the death of a motorist.

Tyre Nichols, 29, will be shown on the bodycam video of the encounter being severely battered, according to the family’s attorneys, who stated it will be released on Friday.

Following Mr. Nichols passed away a few days after a traffic stop on January 7, five now-fired police officers are being accused of murder.

Memphis police have expanded patrols amid reports that the city is on edge.

“I’m sickened by what I saw,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch said on Thursday after reviewing the footage, describing the officers’ actions as “absolutely appalling”.

An counsel for the family claimed that Mr. Nichols, a black man, was stopped by five black police officers while returning home after photographing a sunset in a nearby park.

Authorities said that he was accused of driving recklessly.

When officers approached Mr. Nichols’ automobile, he made an effort to run away on foot, according to the local authorities.

When police attempted to take him into custody, they claimed a second altercation had place.

According to authorities, Mr. Nichols later reported having trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital, where his condition was rated as critical.

The bodycam footage, according to a lawyer for Mr. Nichols’ family, showed Mr. Nichols being pepper sprayed, hit with a stun gun, restrained, and kicked.

He compared the incident to the infamous video of Rodney King, a black motorist, being beaten by police in Los Angeles more than 30 years ago.

Charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression are brought against all five of the cops.

On Thursday, Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Demetrius Haley were all incarcerated.

They were all sacked last week after joining the Memphis Police Department within the last six years.

As the police get ready to release the film on Friday evening, local time, President Biden issued a statement on Thursday pleading for calm.

“I join Tyre’s family in calling for peaceful protest,” he said. “Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.”

According to the city’s police chief, the squad, which was established to patrol high-crime areas, is currently being reviewed along with all of the city’s specialized groups.

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