'He was robbed of his life but not his light': Mourners gather to remember Tyre Nichols at Memphis funeral
1 February 2023, 21:48
Hundreds of mourners have gathered for the funeral of Tyre Nichols, who was brutally beaten to death by Memphis police officers after a traffic stop in January.
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Laying Mr Nicols, 29, to rest on Wednesday, his mother, RowVaughn Wells, said "blood is going to be on the hands" of Congress men and women if they do not pass a bill to limit immunity for US police officers.
Five police officers have been fired and charged with murder, and their specialised unit was disbanded following the incident. Two more officers were suspended.
Ms Wells said: "We need to get that bill passed. The next child that dies, the blood is going to be on their hands."
Paying tribute to her son, she said: "Tyre was a beautiful person and for this to happen to him is unimaginable.
"The only thing that’s keeping me going is thinking my son was sent here on assignment from God. I guess now his assignment is done and he’s been taken home."
Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the funeral and was invited to the pulpit by Reverend Al Sharpton.
"Let our memory of Tyre shine a light on the path towards peace and justice," she said, commending the "courage and strength" of Mr Nichols' family.
His sister said: "He was robbed of his life, his passions and his talents but not his light."
Graphic footage released last week showed officers chasing Mr Nichols after he ran away, pepper spraying and tasering him, and even threatening to break his arms.
"I didn't even do anything," he could be heard saying.
Another clip showed two of the five officers, who are all black, holding Mr Nichols down while a third kicked him in the head.
The officers were also seen holding Mr Nichols in a standing position while another punched him in the head. One of them appeared to hit him with a baton.
Civil rights activist Rev Sharpton criticised the officers, referencing the death of Martin Luther King in Memphis over 50 years ago.
"In the city that they slayed the dreamer, what has happened to the dream?" he asked.
"Five black men who wouldn't have had a job in the police department, would not ever be thought of to be in an elite squad in the city that Dr King lost his life, not far away from that balcony, you beat a brother to death."
He added: "People had to march and go to jail and some lost their lives to open the doors for you.
"How dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing."
Tyre Nichols
The families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were killed by police officers in 2020, were among the hundreds of mourners in the church.
It took place in Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, with the choir singing a chorus of "we love you Tyre" as mourners entered the church.
A white bouquet of flowers was place on top of Mr Nichols' coffin alongside a painting of Martin Luther King.
