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Saturday Night Live addressed the killing of Tyre Nichols in a rare serious moment for the sketch show.
Earlier this week, the unarmed 29-year-old died after being beaten by five Memphis police officers, who have all been charged with second-degree murder.
In the footage, Nichols is pursued, punched and pepper-sprayed by the officers, who are later seen bragging about the arrest.
You can follow live updates following the video’s release here.
On Saturday (29 January), SNL kicked off with a sketch showing cast member Mikey Day playing American lawyer Merrick Garland to discuss a matter of subjects.
These included the “classified papers” that were found in Joe Biden’s personal possession as well as the house of ex-Vice President Mike Pence.
However, the sketch took a serious turn when Kenan Thompson, who was playing an FBI Special Agent, returned at the end.
He said: “Hey boss, when we done playing with your little papers, we gonna head down to Memphis and make sure justice is served down there too, right?”
Day, as Garland, replied: “I sincerely hope so,” to which Thompson said: “Yeah, you damn right – just making sure.”
The studio audience gathered in New York applauded Thompson’s comment.
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The shocking footage of Nichols’ arrest has led to widespread protests across Memphis and beyond.
An independent autopsy released by his family shows he suffered “extensive bleeding” before his death.