Vice President Kamala Harris to attend Tyre Nichols' funeral
Vice President Harris speaking in Tallahassee, Florida, on Jan. 22. Photo: Tori Lynn Schneider/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday will attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after being beaten by police during a Jan. 7 traffic stop, her office said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Nichols' funeral is expected to be held in a Memphis, Tenn., church and will include a eulogy from Rev. Al Sharpton — and will coincide with the first day of Black History Month.
Details: Nichols' funeral will take place 22 days after he died following the beating by Memphis Police Department officers.
- Nichols is survived by his mother, RowVaughn Wells, his stepfather, Rodney Wells, his brother and sister, and his 4-year-old son.
- He worked an evening shift at FedEx with his stepfather and loved skateboarding and photography.
The big picture: The officers' assault on Nichols, seen publicly in graphic and violent footage released by the city of Memphis on Friday, prompted shock, sadness, and outrage around the country.
- President Biden called it "yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day."
- The Memphis Police Department has so far relieved from duty seven officers who were involved in the traffic stop, including five who have been charged with second-degree murder and several other crimes.
- The department stressed in a statement on Monday that its investigation into Nichols' death is continuing, and additional charges and personnel changes are in the works.
- No official cause of death for Nichols has been issued by the Shelby County medical examiner's office, but an independent autopsy found that "Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating" and died on Jan. 10, according to attorneys hired by Nichols' family.
Go deeper:
- What we know about the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols
- Tyre Nichols' parents invited to State of the Union address
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.