Tyre Nichols family filing civil lawsuit in Memphis to get ‘truth’ on traffic stop

The family of Tyre Nichols will bring a civil lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department over his death in an effort to get answers about why that fatal traffic stop took place.

RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, appeared with attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the family, on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation on Saturday to discuss updates in the case. The two expressed their concern over the speed of the investigation and the lack of additional indictments. They also expressed dismay over reports that a lieutenant identified as the on-scene supervisor on the night of Nichols’s arrest was allowed to retire before a disciplinary hearing to fire him.

“It’s actually disturbing. I’m not understanding how they’re allowing someone to retire when they’re involved in an investigation. This was news to me this morning, but I’m just not understanding because he was actually one of the gentlemen that came to my home and informed me that my son was arrested. So for him to be able to retire before all of this, that doesn’t make sense to me,” said Wells.

The civil lawsuit, according to Crump, is aimed to bring the truth behind Nichols’ death. Civil suits offer greater discovery than criminal cases, which provides the family with a pathway to getting some answers on what caused officers to violently attack Nichols.

Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died on Jan. 10 as a direct result of injuries caused by Memphis Police officers during what they claimed to be a traffic stop for reckless driving. Video of the incident, taken on Jan. 7, showed officers aggressively yanking Nichols from his car and wrestling him to the ground without making any efforts to interact peacefully.

Five of the Memphis Police officers involved in the attack have been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, aggravated assault-act in concert, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. Nichols’ family has advocated for charges for others involved in the incident, including officers and sheriff’s deputies who allegedly neglected to deescalate the situation and paramedics who failed to provide Nichols with aid for over 20 minutes.