Trump Speaks Out Against Tyre Nichols Killing

After five Memphis Police officers pepper sprayed him and beat him, former President Trump condemned the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols, 29 years old. 

“I thought it was terrible. He was in such trouble. He was just being pummeled. Now that should never have happened,” Trump spoke during an interview with The Associated Press. 

On Friday’s video footage, Nichols can repeatedly be heard crying out for his mother and asking the men to let her go. “I didn’t do anything.” Trump claimed that this section of the footage was especially difficult for him to hear.

“That was really the point that got me the most, to be honest with you,” Trump continued. 

The former president suggested that a simple traffic violation was not the motive for the five cops to attack Nichols, adding that the video footage is “pretty conclusive.”

“Look, the tape was perhaps not totally conclusive but, to me, it was pretty conclusive and it was vicious and violent and hard to believe — over a traffic violation,” Trump said. 

Trump made the same comments to Wall Street Journal in which he denounced the incident. “the video was pretty graphic. Unless there’s something that isn’t shown, it would certainly be a terrible thing that they did, terrible.”

Trump was quick to praise Memphis Police’s efforts in taking care of him. “strong step” Permanently deactivating the SCORPION Police Unit, in which the officers involved in the incident were still on.

Scorpion was established to target violent offenders living in high-crime areas. Street Crimes Operation: Restore Peace in Our Communities

Trump did not endorse the idea when he was asked if the attack should be accompanied by police reforms. 

“At the same time you have to stop crime,” He stated. “So it’s sort of like individual people. You have to get the right people that know when you have to be tough and when not to be tough. This was a case of being very, very tough — overly, overly crazy,” Trump stated, “Additionally “he was begging for his mother… that’s not a question of reform, that’s a question of having people that understand what you have to do and understand life.”