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CLEVELAND (WJW) — Shortly after videos showing the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols were released, the Cleveland Cavaliers issued a statement calling for peace and pledging to “be part of the solution.”
“We grieve with Tyre Nichols’ loved ones and offer them our deepest sympathies as they grapple with the pain of his heinous and brutal murder,” says the statement. “Our hearts also go out to the city of Memphis. As they continue their investigations into the events that led to Tyre’s tragic and untimely death, we’re encouraged by the swift response by Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. We join their city officials and Tyre’s family in calling for peace and offer them our support on their road to healing.”
Cleveland Cavaliers
Nichols died 3 days after he was beaten by Memphis police in a traffic stop on Jan. 7.
Five now-former Memphis Police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired for misconduct, and indicted by a grand jury Thursday and taken into custody.
Videos of the incident were released Friday evening.
In their statement, the Cavs went on to say:
“We want to continue to be part of the solution. Through our organization’s ongoing partnership witih Law Enforcement in Northeast Ohio, we will continue doing the work to build bridges between communities of color and the region’s police departments. We believe that this type of collaboration can impact police relations in our community and beyond. We remain committed to our goal of creating lasting trust between Law Enforcement and the citizens they serve, while helping to build safer communities for everyone.”
Cleveland Cavaliers
Police stopped Nichols near his home in the Hickory Hill neighborhood around 8:22 p.m. Jan. 7. There was an altercation between Nichols and several officers and pepper spray was deployed, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said.
Nichols was a father to a 4-year-old and worked at FedEx with his stepfather. Family has said he enjoyed skateboarding, photography, Starbucks and watching the sunset from a park in Memphis.
He died in a Memphis hospital three days after his encounter with police. Family said in his last words, he called out for his mother, whose name was tattooed on his arm.