Tire Nichols latest news: Parents to attend Biden’s State of the Union as deadly Memphis police beating video leaves questions

The daughter of Eric Garner has hit out at Memphis officials over the release of the footage of Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating at the hands of law enforcement.

Emerald Garner told NewsNation that the footage was shared like “a premiere of the movie”, saying that law enforcement’s handling of the video was another example of “just how they do things”.

“The fact that we waited for this video to be released like it was an exclusive movie that needed to be premiered on a certain day, it really boils my blood. It’s just heart-wrenching,” she said.

She added: “Tonight was a direct show of just how they do things. You held the video. Why? Why couldn’t the family get their closure at the moment that they needed it? It had to be controlled by this system.

“You held it like it was a premiere of a movie that needed to be watched by the world – a public lynching.”

Ms. Garner, whose father was killed by police in New York in 2014, spoke out hours after the footage of Nichols’ deadly arrest was released to the public.

The parents of Tire Nichols will attend Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address next week, according to reports.

After accepting an invitation from the Congressional Black CaucusNichols’ mother and father – RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – will attend the president’s address.

Chairperson of the caucus, Steven Horsford, said he spoke with Nichols’ parents “to first extend our condolences to them, to let them know that we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us at this moment”.

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Former president made comments at a campaign event in South Carolina.

But now, the very future of the unit, known as SCORPION or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, is in question as lawyers and community activists call for its wholesale overhaul.

The unit, consisting of 40 officers, was set up in October 2021 and received a high-profile launch. The officers were to be split into four teams and focus on car theft, gang-related offenses, and drug crimes.

Read the full story by Andrew Buncombe here:

The family of Tire Nichols did not know there were two members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at the scene where the fatal beating took place, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

“This was the first they heard of it,” Mr. Crump told CNN on Saturday.

Two sheriff’s deputies in Shelby County, Tennessee, who responded to the scene of the fatal arrest of Tire Nichols have been “relieved of duty” following the release of video of the incident.

“Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tire Nichols,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr., said in a Friday night statement.

Sheriff Bonner says an internal investigation is underway into their conduct.

Police are partisan actors just like everyone else in power. It’s vital to take their claims with a grain of salt, writes Josh Marcus:

The young man’s death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has touched off a city-wide scandal.

Reasons for the traffic stop that led to the violent arrest and death of the 29-year-old Black man have been inconsistent, writes Josh Marcus:

They are later seen bragging about punching him, in footage packed with expletives.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”

Andrew Buncombe has the story.