Tyre Nichols: Kamala Harris and family members of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to attend funeral
US Vice President Kamala Harris and members of George Floyd’s family will be among those attending Tyre Nichols’ funeral in Memphis on Wednesday.
The White House announced the move ahead of the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee.
Family members of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were both killed at the hands of police in the US in 2020, will also attend the father-of-one’s funeral.
Mr Nichols, 29, was savagely beaten by several Memphis Police officers who punched, kicked and hit him with a baton after he was pulled over in a traffic stop in Memphis on 7 January.
He died three days later in hospital.
Punched, kicked and tasered: Timeline of violent arrest of Tyre Nichols
So far five black police officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other crimes over his death, while two other officers were suspended from duty.
Yesterday, Memphis Fire Department also confirmed it had fired three of its members after an investigation found Mr Nichols was left handcuffed on the ground without medical attention for nearly 15 minutes after the assault.
Disturbing bodycam footage from the altercation shows Mr Nichols screaming out for his mother as he was beaten by police.
Protests have taken place across a number of cities in the US following the release of the footage and Mr Nichols’ family have said they will not stop fighting for justice.
On Tuesday, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said prosecutors could bring more criminal charges against police officers and others in connection with the fatal beating, following mounting criticism over the handling of the case.
The five officers who were sacked and charged are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr and Justin Smith, who are aged between 24 and 32-years-old.
No criminal charges have been filed against Preston Hemphill, a white police officer who was suspended from duty after the attack and was not present at the time of the fatal beating.
On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he had tasered Mr Nichols, declaring: “I hope they stomp his ass.”
Police said a seventh officer who was not immediately identified was also relieved of duty without pay and has not been charged. His role in the incident has not been disclosed.
The killing of Mr Nichols follows the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 which led to mass protests in the US over police brutality.
Mr Floyd was killed after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes in Minneapolis, and Ms Taylor was fatally shot during a botched police raid in Louisville, Kentucky.