Tyre Nichols’ family files ‘landmark’ civil lawsuit against Memphis following death after police encounter

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Former Memphis police officers plead not guilty to murder, other charges in Tyre Nichols death

Five former Memphis police officers entered not guilty pleas Friday to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Tyre Nichols.

Attorneys representing the family of Tyre Nichols have filed what they describe as a "landmark" civil lawsuit against the city of Memphis, Tennessee, its police department and individual officers following the 29-year-old's death in January. 

The lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial and financial damages, names as defendants the city of Memphis, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, the five officers who have been fired and charged in Nichols’ death, another officer who has been fired but not charged, and an additional officer who retired before he could be fired, according to The Associated Press. 

"We are trying to send a clear message to Memphis and a clear message to America," Attorney Ben Crump told reporters Wednesday at a press conference while standing alongside Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells. 

"Today, we are sending the message that in Tyre's name and Tyre's legacy, we're going to have meaningful legislation and meaningful accountability to the point where we will not have any other individuals killed in the manner that Tyre Nichols was killed," Crump added.

FOUR FORMER COPS CHARGED IN TYRE NICHOLS' DEATH PROHIBITED FROM POLICE WORK

Tyre Nichols died after being stopped by police on Jan. 7, 2023. His family is now bringing a lawsuit against the city of Memphis, Tennessee. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)

The Memphis Police Department, when asked by Fox News Digital this morning for their reaction to the lawsuit, said "we do not comment on pending litigation."

Nichols was stopped by police on Jan. 7 for alleged "reckless driving" and was yanked from his car as officers threatened to shock him with a Taser. Officers claimed a "confrontation occurred" during the traffic stop before Nichols attempted to flee the scene. Officers caught up with Nichols and began to kick him, punch him and hit him with a baton as he screamed for his mother. 

During the incident, Nichols was complaining about having shortness of breath. He was eventually transported to a hospital in critical condition and died on Jan. 10. 

Memphis Police Department Officers Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith have since been terminated and charged with second-degree murder, to which they have pleaded not guilty. 

From left to right, Memphis Police Department Officers Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith were terminated on Jan. 18 for their role in the arrest of deceased Tyre Nichols. The police department is also being named in the family's lawsuit. (Memphis Police Department)

"Those five police officers who murdered my son, they beat him to death and they need to be held accountable along with everyone else that has something to do with my son's murder," Wells said Wednesday. 

"I never thought in a million years that I would be in this place standing here.""No parent should be going through what I'm going through right now," she added. "And I don't wish on my worst enemy. But things need to change."

The lawsuit also names three Memphis Fire Department employees who were fired after officials said they failed to render aid to Nichols as he was on the ground, struggling with his injuries, the AP added. 

MEMPHIS JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF VIDEO AND RECORDS IN TYRE NICHOLS CASE

Nichols was beaten so badly that he was "left unrecognizable," the lawsuit states, comparing his case to that of Emmett Till some 70 years prior and the officers to a "modern-day lynch mob."

RowVaughn Wells, center, the mother of Nichols stands during a press conference after an indictment hearing for five former Memphis police officers charged in the death of her son at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP/Brandon Dill)

"Unlike Till, this lynching was carried out by those adorned in department sweatshirts and vests and their actions were sanctioned—expressly and implicitly—by the City of Memphis," it reportedly said.

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The lawsuit also alleges Nichols was targeted by a Memphis police crime-suppression unit called Scorpion, which officials said would target repeat violent offenders in high-crime areas, only because he was a young Black man.

The Justice Department is reviewing the Memphis Police Department's policies on the use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units in response to Nichols' death. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.