Tyre Nichols’ autopsy report shows that he died from blunt force trauma after a traffic stop by Memphis Police became a violent attack, according to The Commercial Appeal.
According to the report that was shown to Nichol’s family Wednesday, the 29-year-old died of “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,”
“We know now what we knew then. Tyre Nichols died from blunt force trauma and the manner of death was homicide,” the attorneys, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said in a statement. “The official autopsy report further propels our commitment to seeking justice for this senseless tragedy.”
Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after he was stopped by Memphis police for what they called reckless driving. Officers said Nichols fled the scene but eventually was taken into custody after two “confrontations” with officers.
Video from the two incidents showed police officers continually beating and kicking Nichols.
Crump and Romanucci said Wednesday that the medical examiner’s report was “highly consistent with our own reporting back in January of this year.”
According to Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, she was initially told her son was drunk and high on drugs, but the autopsy results showed her son had a blood alcohol level of .049. A limit “well less than the legal limit to drive,” the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told the family, according to NPR.
Seven Memphis Police Department officers have been fired for their roles in the arrest, and one has retired. Five of the seven have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Nichols’ death.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told reporters Tuesday that Nichols’ autopsy is almost complete and that his office expects it to confirm that Nichols “died as a result of the injuries sustained in the beating.”
The autopsy will be released to the public, according to the district attorney’s office.
