HOUSTON – Houston officials are among several cities nationwide bracing for possible civil unrest Friday ahead of the release of bodycam footage that showed police officers allegedly beating a 29-year-old man to death earlier this month in Memphis.
According to the Associated Press, Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by five Memphis PD officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7.
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All five officers were later fired and charged with second-degree murder, officials said.
HPD Chief Troy Finner released a statement Friday morning, encouraging the community to “exercise their right to demonstrate” responsibly.
You can read the statement below.
Statement from Police Chief @TroyFinner: pic.twitter.com/RZPLrQJfdm
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 27, 2023
The Houston Police Department extends thoughts and prayers to the Nichols family. Following the release of the body-worn camera footage of the incident, we understand some members of the community may want to exercise their right to demonstrate, however, we ask they do so responsibly. We will continue to monitor events as they unfold in Memphis and around the country. The Memphis Police Chief has fired those five officers involved and they have been charged with second-degree murder. Please know their actions do not reflect the great work the men and women do every day in our profession. We ask everyone in our great city to continue to lift up the Nichols family and the Memphis community during a very tragic time.
The Associated Press reported that video of the traffic stop will be released to the public sometime Friday evening, Mulroy said, noting that local and state investigators wanted to complete as many interviews as possible before releasing it. Nichols’ family members viewed the footage on Monday.
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