MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Tire Nichols died from blows to the head he suffered when he was beaten by Memphis police during an arrest in January, an autopsy report released Thursday showed.
The autopsy said the manner of death was homicide. The report released by the Memphis medical examiner described brain injuries, cuts and bruises to the head and other parts of the body.
Nichols was black, as were the five police officers fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges after his death. They pleaded not guilty on February 17.
Ben Crump, an attorney for the Nichols family, said the Shelby County district attorney, which includes Memphis, informed them Wednesday of the autopsy report.
“The official autopsy report further drives our commitment to seek justice for this senseless tragedy,” said a statement released by Crump’s law firm.
Nichols was stopped by police on Jan. 7 for an alleged traffic violation and was aggressively removed from his car by officers. An officer shot Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols fled into his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city of Memphis and other police records.
Officers who were part of a crime-fighting team known as Scorpion found Nichols and punched, kicked and clubbed him as he screamed for his mother.
After the beating, the officers stood and talked to each other as Nichols struggled with his injuries while on the ground, the video showed. An officer also took photos of Nichols as he was leaning against an unmarked police car, video and other records were shown.
Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after EMS arrived, authorities said.
Nichols, 29, died three days later. His funeral was celebrated on February 1.
Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has appeared in public records or video footage, and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said he has not seen any evidence to justify the stop or the officers. ‘ answer He disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death.
According to the autopsy, ethanol – or drinking alcohol – and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, were detected in Nichols’ system. THC is found in marijuana.
The concentrations 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 level is “roughly equivalent to a drink or two,” Stolbach said. “It’s a level that a lot of people would have after drinking socially, people able to drive home legally.”
In addition to the five black officers fired and charged with murder, a white officer involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. That officer will not face charges for his role in Nichols’ death. Another officer who has not been identified has also been fired. An additional officer he retired before he could be fired.
Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were at the scene of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who were also there were suspended.
Nichols’ family, his attorneys, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department regarding issues related to traffic stops, use of force, improved transparency and other policies . The city council has passed an ordinance that ends traffic stops based solely on a single secondary violation, such as an improperly affixed license tag.
Nichols’ mother has filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city, the police department and Davis. The City Council has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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AP medical writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state contributed. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Reynolds also contributed from Louisville, Kentucky.
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