Al Sharpton calls police ‘gangbangers’ as Tyre Nichols family demands justice
Vice president Kamala Harris will attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols tomorrow in Memphis, where the Rev Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogy and civil rights attorney Ben Crump will announce a “call to action” in the wake of the death of the 29-year-old Black man.
Shelby County district attorney Steve Mulroy said that prosecutors could bring more criminal charges against police officers and others in connection with Nichols’ fatal beating.
Seven officers with the Memphis Police Department have faced disciplinary actions related to the beating of Nichols earlier this month, captured on horrifying footage that was publicly released on Friday.
Five officers were fired and indicted on murder and kidnapping charges. A sixth officer, identified as Preston Hemphill, who is white, was suspended with pay pending a hearing, and a seventh officer who was not immediately identified was relieved of duty without pay.
Nichols’ parents – RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – have also accepted an invitation from the Congressional Black Caucus to attend president Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, and caucus members will meet with the president on Thursday to discuss efforts to revive national police reform legislation.
