'Black Man Dies After Police Beating' Sparks Outrage
Special Forces Disbandment Follows Controversy
Trump: "An Incident That Should Not Have Happened"
As American society is outraged over the collective beating and death of Black driver Tyre Nichols by police officers, the officers' attitude during the suppression has been revealed, further fueling public anger.
A video showing Tyre Nichols (29) being beaten and crying out, while the officers continue their brutal suppression as if it were a routine matter, has been fully disclosed.
On the 28th (local time), the AP News Agency conducted a detailed analysis and report on the police bodycam footage released the previous day by the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee, USA.
On the 28th (local time), a citizen in New York, USA, attended a protest condemning the death of Tyre Nichols, holding a placard. [Photo by Reuters]
AP described the 67-minute police bodycam footage released by the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee, saying, "If you arrived late at the scene, you might not even have known that Nichols, beaten and bloodied, was there."
According to AP, at around 8:24 p.m. on the 7th, police officers who stopped Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving used harsh language from the start and maintained an intimidating attitude throughout. Nichols, initially pulled out of the driver's seat, repeatedly said "alright" showing compliance.
Even when lying face down on the ground as instructed by the officers, Nichols calmly explained, "I'm just trying to go home," and "You all are overreacting right now." However, the officers ignored this, shouting for him to lie down and even saying "Shoot the Taser," which seemed to unsettle Nichols, who then tried to get up and flee.
AP analyzed the 67-minute footage and reported, "If you arrived late at the scene, you might not have even known that Nichols, beaten and bloodied, was there." This was because the police left the handcuffed victim lying on the street for tens of minutes, appearing completely unconcerned.
Police Officers Who Used Not Only Grabbing and Kicking but Also Indiscriminate Physical Force
The police officers grabbed Nichols and subjected him to punches and kicks, swung batons, and fired a Taser, applying indiscriminate physical force. Nichols, who was crying out "Mom, Mom," was sprayed in the face with tear-inducing pepper spray and then further beaten until he was completely subdued. This occurred just 14 minutes after the car initially stopped, at 8:38 p.m.
AP criticized, "As Nichols' moans subsided, the officers were seen wandering the street, chatting with colleagues, and standing nonchalantly as if nothing had happened." Several minutes after the police subdued Nichols, emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene. However, even the medical personnel did not properly examine or treat Nichols' condition. It was only after about 20 more minutes that an ambulance arrived.
AP noted, "Seeing the officers sharing war stories in a quiet corner of the street, exchanging fist bumps, and patting each other on the back, they seemed neither distressed nor urgent."
One officer repeatedly shouted at Nichols, who was struggling weakly on the ground, "You’re not going anywhere," which AP said "clearly shows how routine this kind of situation is for the police officers."
Memphis Police Disband 'Scorpion Unit' to Which Officers Involved in Beating and Death of Black Driver Belonged
Serlin Davis, Chief of the Memphis Police Department, reversed the previous stance of maintaining the 'Scorpion' special unit, to which the five officers who collectively beat Nichols belonged, and announced the disbandment of the unit. Nichols' family welcomed this decision.
The Scorpion unit, an acronym for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods, consisted of about 30 officers assigned to respond to violent crimes, but its activities had been suspended since the beating and death incident on the 7th.
Despite this measure, public outrage in the United States has not subsided. On the 27th (local time), protests condemning police excessive force in New York escalated, with some demonstrators clashing with police and three arrests made. The Nichols death issue has become a major political topic in the U.S.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, described the Nichols beating video as "horrific" in an AP interview, emphasizing that "this should never have happened." Trump also referred to the scene where Nichols, amid police officers' barrage of insults, cried out for "Mom," calling it a "very sad moment."
AP noted that Trump has emphasized law enforcement authority and signed legislation strengthening police powers following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, which sparked the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests three years ago.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
