Five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee have been charged with first-degree murder in Nichols’ death in January.
An autopsy report released in the United States has shown that Tire Nichols died of blunt force injuries to the head after being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, during a January arrest.
The autopsy said the manner of death was homicide. The report released by the medical examiner in Memphis described multiple contusions, brain injuries, cuts and contusions to the head and other parts of the body.
Nichols was black, as were the five police officers who were fired after his death and charged with manslaughter and other charges. They pleaded not guilty on February 17.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Nichols family, said they were notified Wednesday of the autopsy report by the Shelby County, Tennessee, district attorney’s office, which includes Memphis.
“The official autopsy report supports our commitment to seeking justice for this senseless tragedy,” said a statement from Crump’s law firm.
Nichols was pulled over by police on January 7 for an alleged traffic violation and was aggressively pulled from his car by officers. An officer fired at Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away to his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city of Memphis and other police files.
Officers who were part of a crime-fighting team known as Scorpion caught up with Nichols and beat, kicked, and batoned him as he screamed for his mother.
After the beating, officers stood by and talked to each other as Nichols struggled with his injuries as he lay on the floor, a video showed. An officer also took photos of Nichols standing against an unmarked police car, video and other records showed.
Nichols was taken to a hospital by ambulance which left the scene of the assault 27 minutes after emergency medical services arrived, authorities said.
Nichols, 29, died three days later. His funeral took place on February 1.
Police said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in any public documents or video footage. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said she had seen no evidence to justify the arrest or the officers’ response. She disbanded the Scorpion Unit after Nichols’ death.
According to the autopsy, ethanol — or drinking alcohol — and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were detected in Nichols’ system. THC is in marijuana.
The levels of alcohol and THC detected were low, said Dr. Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine who reviewed the autopsy report at the request of The Associated Press.
The alcohol content is “roughly equivalent to a drink or two,” Stolbach said. “It’s a level that many people would be at after social drinking, people who can legally drive home.”
In addition to the five black officers fired and charged with murder, one white officer was fired who was involved in the first traffic stop. That officer is not being prosecuted for his role in Nichols’ death. Another officer who has not been identified has also been fired. An additional officer retired before he could be discharged.
Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were at the scene of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County deputies who were also present were suspended.
The Nichols family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department regarding traffic stops, the use of force, improving transparency and other policies.
The city council passed an ordinance that would end traffic stops based solely on a single secondary violation, such as an improperly placed license plate.
Nichols’ mother has filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city, police and Davis. The city declined to comment on the lawsuit.