On the eve of their loved one's funeral, the family of a driver who passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, after being assaulted by police has demanded an investigation.
Tyre Nichols' stepfather and brother vowed to continue the fight for justice at a church in the city. Murder charges have been filed against five former police officers.
Al Sharpton, a prominent advocate for civil rights, said that what happened to Tyre was a disgrace to this nation.
Numerous complaints are documented in the officers' police personnel files.
A day after calling Mr. Nichols' bereaved mother, US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend the funeral on Wednesday.
Rodney Wells, the stepfather of Mr. Nichols, spoke on Tuesday night in the church where civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last speech and where Wednesday's service will be held, urging the public to "keep fighting for justice for my son.".
Mr. Nichols' passing was dubbed a "national disgrace" by Mr. Sharpton, who also thanked the family and neighborhood activists.
He claimed that "people from all over the world watched the videotape of an unarmed, unprovoked man being beaten to death by law enforcement officers.".
"Any one of us could have been that," he said.
Jamal Dupree, the brother of Mr. Nichols, addressed the crowd and said, "My little brother didn't deserve any of this at all. ".
Five former Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in connection with Mr. Nichols' death: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith. The same as Mr. Nichols, all five are black.
According to a local affiliate of the BBC's US partner CBS News, personnel files reveal that some of the officers have a number of disciplinary issues.
In February 2021, while being arrested, Mr. Haley was charged with using excessive force and dislocating a woman's shoulder. He was given a written warning.
In a traffic stop that ended in a collision in March 2019, Mr. Mills was also charged with using excessive force, but that accusation was dismissed.
After Mr. Martin was accused of failing to thoroughly search two suspects when a handgun was discovered on the floor of a squad car in March 2019, he was placed on three days of unpaid leave.
After a car accident in January 2021 that left him and another person injured, Mr. Smith was given a two-day suspension without pay for failing to maintain proper control.
In Mr. Bean's file, no prior incidents were discovered.
