Signs are placed on the steps of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on the morning of Tyre Nichols' funeral on February 1, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee
(Lucy Garrett/Getty Images)
Tyre Nichols Autopsy Shows Death From Blunt Force Trauma
An official medical examiner’s report shows that Tyre Nichols died from blunt force trauma after being attacked by Memphis police in January.
The upsetting autopsy for Tyre Nichols has been revealed. On Wednesday (May 3), a medical examiner’s report reviewed by the 29-year-old’s family states that Nichols’ cause of death was blunt force trauma, adding that the manner of death was homicide.
According to NBC News, the Nichols family was briefed on autopsy results by Steve Mulroy, the district attorney.
“The legal team representing the family of Tyre Nichols acknowledges the release of the medical examiner’s report, the contents of which are highly consistent with our own reporting back in January of this year,” said attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci in a joint statement. “We know now what we knew then.”
“The official autopsy report further propels our commitment to seeking justice for this senseless tragedy,” the statement concluded. The Nichols family is now seeking $550 million in a federal lawsuit against the city of Memphis.
In video footage, Nichols was seen being beaten during a January 7 traffic stop by five Memphis police officials. Several officers, including the five shown in the video – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith – were fired in the wake of Nichols’ death. The five officers were then charged with multiple counts, including second-degree murder, to which they pleaded not guilty in February.
The month prior, a forensic pathologist hired by the Nichols’ family found that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” according to the family attorneys. The pathologist also said that the man’s injuries were “consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police.”
