Cities across the country were bracing for protests once video is released on Friday showing Memphis police officers fatally injuring Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop earlier this month.
Five officers have been charged with murder in Mr. Nichols’s death. Memphis officials stressed that the video is gruesome and distressing but said that they would release it for the sake of transparency. The district attorney, Steve Mulroy, said that the nearly hourlong string of footage, including video from police body cameras, would be released with limited redactions, adding, “After everyone sees the video, I don’t think they’ll have any questions about those charges.”
Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis said city officials had made sure Mr. Nichols’s family could view the video privately before it was released to the public. He said the city expected to do so after 6 p.m. on Friday.
Memphis civic leaders and Mr. Nichols’s family have asked people to protest peacefully, and President Biden joined their call in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable,” he said. “Violence is destructive and against the law. It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.”
He added, “Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all.”
Police officials around the country said they were watching the situation. Spokespeople for the police departments of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., said that they had ample staffing on hand for any protests or demonstrations that may follow the video’s release.
In Texas, police and city officials in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio said that they were aware of the imminent release of the video but had not yet taken any special steps.
In New York City, the police department said in a statement that officials were preparing for the possibility of protests.
“The Department has examined, adapted and adjusted our response to protests and is prepared to protect the Constitutional right to peaceful protest, and works to ensure public safety for every New Yorker exercising their First Amendment rights,” the statement said.
Like many police forces across the country, the New York Police Department was heavily criticized for its handling of protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. The city’s Department of Investigation found that the department had used aggressive tactics that heightened tensions and violated demonstrators’ rights.
J. David Goodman, Joshua Needelman and Campbell Robertson contributed reporting.
Karen Zraick
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