Tyre Nichols' death: Experts weigh in on discrepancies found in police report and bodycam footage
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: The photo of the initial official report filed by police officers after Tyre Nichols was brutally beaten has caused quite a havoc since there are a lot of discrepancies in it and what can be seen in the body cam of the officer. Though the official release of the report has not been made, an alleged photo of the report was shared by a Memphis radio host, Thaddeus Matthews, also known as 'The Cursing Pastor.' Ex-Memphis officers, Desmond Mills Jr, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith, have been suspended and are currently being charged with second-degree murder.
In the clip released by the authorities, Tyre Nichols can be seen on the ground while the officers are standing over him. Two officers can be seen holding him down while the third one kicks him and the fourth officer comes over with a baton. The officers pick up the 29-year-old Black man from the ground and hold him up as they appear to repeatedly strike him in the face and torso. The officers can be seen shouting several times at Nichols. " One man in uniform holding the baton can be heard saying, "I'ma baton the f*** out of you." Later, he appears to strike Nichols on his upper body three times. The FedEx driver is then pulled up to a stand and is punched and slaped.
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Innacuracies in initial police report
Contrary to the video, the official incident report failed to mention anything about Nichols being kicked and punched by the officers. As per the filed document, “Nichols started to fight with officers, reached for their guns, pulled on their duty belts and grabbed at least one officer by his vest.” However, nothing of that nature can be seen in the footage released. "Suspect Tyre Nichols was refusing a lawful detention by law enforcement officers and he started to fight with detectives," claims the report. It adds that Nichols was "sweating profusely" and "irate" when he exited the vehicle during a traffic stop by officials.
Experts weigh in on the errors
“There's no training that any human being can go through that is going to teach them how to record an event like a machine,” said Michael Rains, a California attorney who, in the past, had represented law enforcement in civil and criminal litigation. Some former law enforcement experts shared with ABC News that every individual can have a different recollection of the actual event, “We learned to not say that eyewitness testimony is the only thing,” TJ Kennedy, a public safety and de-escalation expert shares. “You have to put it all together.” Rainn adds, “It's not to say that an officer wouldn't lie or try to lie because we all know that it can happen.”
According to former San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan, “Some officers get a chance to look at body camera footage before submitting their report while others may not be allowed to because of local legal restrictions."