While family and friends paid tribute Tuesday to a man who died following a recent confrontation with Memphis police, city officials also announced Tuesday that video footage from the incident will be forthcoming.
Through tears and laughter at an Orange Mound-area funeral home on Tuesday, loved ones honored Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father of one, who died Jan. 10, three days after he was arrested and hospitalized after a traffic stop.
During a memorial service, they recalled his easy-going, goofy and independent nature and his love of food.
“The way to this man’s heart was through his stomach,” Angelina Paxton, a longtime friend from California, told the more than 50 people who gathered to celebrate Nichols’ life.
She says they met as teenagers through church, and he introduced her to his passion of skateboarding.
“He really was a light,” she said. “There was not a bad bone in that man’s body. He was not violent. He was not crooked…he was a good man.”
Even casual acquaintances cherished their encounters with Nichols. Nate Spates Jr. got to know him through visits to Starbucks in East Memphis.
“We all just ended up probably three, four times a week, just sitting there talking,” Spates said. “He just wanted to enjoy life, enjoy being out in the elements – enjoying conversation.”
Spates says even his wife was moved to comment on Nichols’ kind demeanor after a coffee run, calling him a “beautiful soul.”
According to Memphis Police, Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving on the evening of Jan 7. He fled on foot after a confrontation with officers. MPD said a second confrontation took place as he was apprehended. Nichols was hospitalized after complaining of a shortness of breath, the department said. He died three days later.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigationis currently reviewing the officers’ use of force.
City officials announced Tuesday thatvideo footage from the night will be made public after MPD completes its own internal investigation, which is expected to finish at the end of the week. Family members must also have the opportunity to privately view it before the footage is shared, Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Chief CJ Davis said in a joint statement.
“We understand and agree that transparency around the events surrounding the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols is critically important, especially the release of the video footage,” the statement reads.
City officials are expected to meet with the family’s attorney next week. The Police Department is alsotaking administrative action against an unknown number of officers as part of its internal investigation.
