Leaders from across Minnesota are reacting to body camera footage showing five Memphis police officers violently beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop on January 7.
All five officers have been fired and are charged with murder after Nichols died three days after the traffic stop and arrest.
Nichols' family attorney Ben Crump says Nichols was returning home after taking photos of a the sunset at a park on when he was stopped for reckless driving on January 7.
Video of the incident can be found here: (WARNING: The videos contain extremely graphic violence).
"Video 1" in the link above is body cam footage from one of the officers who arrives at the scene shortly after Nichols was initially stopped. In the footage, police can be heard shouting profanities at Nichols before yanking him from his vehicle.
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Minneapolis Police Chief, Brian O'Hara, condemned the officers' actions saying violent abuses of authority have no place in the law enforcement profession.
“My heart breaks for the unimaginable loss that the family of Tyre Nichols has suffered. No statement, no criminal charge, no verdict will ever heal the pain Mr. Nichols’s family is feeling. I fully support Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis and her quick and decisive actions to terminate the officers involved in this terrible incident," O'Hara wrote. "While I honor and commend the men and women in uniform who serve all people every day with respect, I condemn any criminal behavior by police. The privilege to protect with courage and serve with compassion is sacred. Violent abuses of authority, such as displayed in this incident, have absolutely no place in our profession.”
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Dr. Cedric Alexander calls the officers' actions "heinous and barbaric" and "unbecoming of the oath they swore to protect and to serve the people of Memphis."
"I too am shocked and horrified, and I abhor having to see this happen again and again. What we have viewed is an embarrassment to the first responders who serve this nation with honor and dignity. It must stop. This is not reflective of the people working under the Office of Community Safety, who strive every day to build the relationships necessary to keep Minneapolis safe," Alexander said. "But like the Nichols family, who I have in my thoughts and my prayers, I ask for civility. We must safeguard against a repeat of the past, from which we are only beginning to heal."
The camera footage also shows Nichols being repeatedly yelled at to get on the ground after he's already on the ground and handled roughly with at least four officers around him. Eventually, after a taser is deployed, Nichols flees the scene on foot.
Below is Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey's reaction.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. said Friday that two deputies at the scene following Nichols' arrest have been "relieved of duty." They have launched an "internal investigation" to determine if the deputies violated any policies.