(CNN) The family of Tire Nichols has filed a federal $550 million lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department and what the lawsuit says were “unqualified, untrained, and unsupervised” officers assigned to it. in a special unit who brutally beat the 29-year-old Black. man after a traffic stop in January.
Nichols was repeatedly punched and kicked by Memphis police after a traffic stop and brief foot chase Jan. 7. He was hospitalized and died three days later.
The lawsuit, filed by attorneys for Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, says the fatal beating was the “direct and demonstrable product of unconstitutional policies, practices, customs, and willful indifference by the City of Memphis” and police officers.
“It has nothing to do with the amount of money in this case,” Wells told reporters. “But everyone involved is accountable. Those five police officers killed my son. They beat him to death and they should be held accountable along with everyone involved in my son’s murder.”
The suit compared Nichols’ beating to the 1955 killing of Emmett Till, adding that — like Till — Nichols suffered a beating “endured at the hands of a modern-day lynch mob.”
The reasons why Nichols was stopped in his car “have not been proven,” the lawsuit says. The officers dragged Nichols from his car, unleashed an unreasonable “frenzy of force” on him and acted like “a pack of wolves trying to hunt down their injured prey.”
Five police officers, also Black, were fired after an internal investigation and charged with criminal charges on January 26.
Memphis Police spokesman Maj. Karen Rudolph declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
CNN has sought comment from city officials, and attorneys for the five officers who are facing criminal charges.
The five accused officers are part of the department’s special SCORPION unit, which was launched in 2021 to increase violent crime in Memphis.
Memphis police said the unit was permanently deactivated shortly after the video of Nichols’ arrest was released in January.
“This important case will not only get justice for Tire Nichols in the civil courts but it will also send a message to cities across America that have these police brutality units licensed to the city leaders to go in and terrorize Black and brown communities,” attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Nichols family, said at a press conference.
The lawsuit alleges that the fatal beating of Nichols involved five rogue officers, calling his death “the culmination of a Department-ordered and Department-sanctioned crackdown on unqualified, untrained, and unsupervised SCORPION Unit enforcing an unconstitutional order on the streets of Memphis. without any fear of reprisal or consequence.”
“Instead of ‘restoring peace’ in Memphis neighborhoods, the SCORPION Unit has brought terror,” the lawsuit said.
“In reality, this is an officially authorized gang of inexperienced, untrained, over-aggressive police officers who are running away from the Memphis community without any oversight.
Body camera videos and surveillance footage from Nichols’ arrest were released a day later, revealing to the public the severity of the beating, drawing widespread condemnation from residents and police officers and, the prosecutor said in county, contradicting what officials said happened in the initial police report.
The video prompted a renewed national debate on police justice and reform, shaking up a country accustomed to videos of police brutality — particularly against people of color. It also prompted protests and vigils in Memphis and other major US cities.
The US Department of Justice is investigating the Memphis Police Department. The DOJ also said it will separately review special units across the US and develop guidance for their use in addition to its review of the Memphis PD.
Five former Memphis police officers indicted in January were arraigned on February 17 on criminal charges.
Five former Memphis police officers are facing criminal charges in connection with the death of Tire Nichols. Above: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. Bottom: Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith. Five former Memphis police officers are facing criminal charges in connection with the death of Tire Nichols. Above: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. Bottom: Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. each facing charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Second-degree murder in Tennessee is considered a Class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.
Their lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them.
Police in February identified a sixth officer who was fired, Preston Hemphill, as White. Police said he was accused of violating department policies including those covering personal conduct and honesty.
Last month, a Memphis official said a seventh police officer had been fired and others had been suspended or left the force after Nichols’ death. The name of the officer, and details about what the officer is accused of doing were not immediately released.
And three Memphis fire department personnel who responded to the scene — two emergency medical technicians and a fire lieutenant — were fired, though no criminal charges were filed, according to the city. A city official said last month that a fourth firefighter was suspended but did not provide details.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Emmett Till’s first name.