Tyre Nichols’ family sues Memphis police over his beating and death
LA TimesRowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, stands with attorneys Ben Crump, left, and Kareem Ali as she speaks during a February news conference. The family of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers, sued the city of Memphis, individual officers and emergency medical personnel involved in his case, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Memphis. The lawsuit names Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis and the crime-suppression unit called Scorpion that officials said would target repeat violent offenders in high-crime areas. The lawsuit claims the Scorpion unit used “extreme intimidation, humiliation, and violence” and “disproportionately focused on and targeted young Black men.” The five officers charged with beating Nichols were members of the unit, police have said. Nichols died in January, three days after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers.