What is an independent autopsy? Tyre Nichols’ family reveals he suffered “excessive bleeding” after police encounter

On January 10, 2023, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols died from injuries he allegedly sustained during a January 7 encounter with Memphis City police officers. According to CNN, the victim's relatives requested an independent autopsy after his passing.

According to the BBC, on January 7, Tyre Nichols was pulled over by Memphis on suspicion of reckless driving. What began as a routine traffic stop escalated into violence, with officers supposedly brutally beating him after allegedly attempting to flee the scene on foot. They were accused of subsequently assaulting him a second time while trying to handcuff him. After the arrest, Tyre Nichols was transported to a hospital after he said he was experiencing 'shortness of breath.'

The victim's family is making an effort to prove through an independent autopsy that Tyre Nichols' death was ultimately caused by the cops' actions. Instead of a state coroner, a board-certified private physician conducts an independent autopsy. Nichols' family claims that the victim experienced cardiac arrest and kidney failure due to the brutal nature of the assault.

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What did the independent autopsy reveal about the death of Tyre Nichols?

In an official statement, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump revealed that the preliminary results of the independent autopsy implied that officers had severely beaten Tyre Nichols.

Crump said:

“We can state that preliminary findings indicate Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7, 2023."

The victim's stepfather, Rodney Wells, said that the video, which has not yet been released, showed the deceased repeatedly being beaten, pepper sprayed, and tased.

Wells said:

"I saw police brutality at its finest. I saw a helpless, young Black man being beat by several officers."

The victim's mother, RowVaugh Wells, said:

"All I heard my son say was, 'What did I do?' I just lost it from there."

After a meeting with the Nichols family, Kevin Ritz, US Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, told reporters he would do his best to ascertain a fair investigation and trial.

Ritz said:

“Our federal investigation may take some time, as these things often do, but we will be diligent and make decisions based on the facts and the law."

The actions of the officers, according to Memphis City Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, were not indicative of how he wanted to run the police department.

Davis said:

“The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work that our officers perform, with integrity, every day."

The investigation also resulted in the placement of two firefighters who had been on duty at the time of the assault on leave.