tyre nichols29, died in Memphis, Tennessee on January 10, just three days after Arrested by members of the city police department, Now, residents are still waiting to see body camera footage of the arrest that appears to have led to the death.
Memphis Police Chief Cherilyn Davis on Wednesday Said footage would be released Friday at 6 p.m. EST.
The video is expected to be around an hour long and has been edited in some parts.
He added that the upcoming release of police body camera footage from the night of 7 January would make viewers feel “outraged by the disregard for basic human rights”.
She called the officers’ actions “heinous, reckless and inhumane”, and said the officers displayed a “failure of basic humanity towards another person”.
Along with an explicit condemnation of the officers’ actions, Ms Davies also asked the public not to respond to the footage with violence and destruction.
“I hope our citizens will exercise their First Amendment right to protest, demand action and consequences,” she said. “But, we need to make sure our community stays safe in the process.”
Mr Nicholls was initially pulled over for reckless driving on January 7 and allegedly fled the police. Shortly after being confronted by the police, he complained of difficulty in breathing and was taken to the district hospital, where he died.
The five officers involved in the arrest of Mr Nichols were fired last week, which civil rights activists hailed as a step towards justice for Mr Nichols.
But those advocates believe there is still a long way to go before justice is fully served in the death of another black American after a confrontation with police.
Several public officials involved with the case promised that body camera footage of the arrest would be released as soon as Mr. Nichols’ family and his attorney, prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, had an opportunity to view the footage in private.
Officials initially appeared to renege on that promise. After announcing that he would visit Mr. Nichols had met with the family, the Memphis Police Department said it was not quite ready to release the footage publicly.
“Transparency is a priority in this incident, and a premature release can adversely affect the criminal investigation and judicial process,” Chief Serelin Davis said in a release. “We are working with the District Attorney’s Office to determine an appropriate time to publicly release the video recording.”
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy issued a similar statement, alleging that releasing the video now could jeopardize the investigation and that the video could be released later this week or next week.
“Earlier today, we met with the family of Tyr Nicholls – who have now seen the video,” Mr Mulroy said in a statement. Transparency is a priority for the DA’s Office, and we understand the public’s desire for an immediate release. However, it is important that the release does not compromise the investigation. We are working with the TBI and FBI to expedite that investigation and have been in regular consultation with the City of Memphis regarding the release of the video, which we expect will happen this week or next.
However, it now appears that the video will be available on Friday. The soon-to-be-released footage was announced a day earlier Five former Memphis police officers were charged With second degree murder of Mr. Nichols.