Tyre Nichols’ death must galvanise efforts to reform police: family lawyer
- Tyre Nichols, an unarmed black man, died after a videotaped beating by police in Memphis
- Family’s lawyer called on US Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
The lawyer representing the family of Tyre Nichols, the black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers, called on Sunday for the US Congress to pass police reform legislation, and said Nichols’ mother hoped the tragedy could lead to a “greater good”.
“Shame on us if we don’t use his tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed,” Ben Crump told CNN’s State of the Union programme.
All five officers are expected to appear in court on February 17 at in front of Judge James Jones of the Shelby County criminal court, court records show.
Crump said he and the Nichols family had spoken to US President Joe Biden on Friday and urged him to use Nichols’ death to galvanise support for the act’s passage.
Nichols’ mother was coping with her son’s death by believing he was destined to change the world, Crump said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
“She believes in her heart Tyre was sent here for an assignment and that there is going to be greater good that comes from this tragedy.”
