Parents of Tyre Nichols call for ‘peaceful protest’ before release of traffic stop video

The parents of Tyre Nichols want justice for their son’s death — but they also want peace.

Nichols died earlier this month after he was pulled over by police officers in Memphis, triggering widespread backlash and excessive force allegations. While authorities have offered few details about the violent encounter, they promised video of the incident would be made available to the public some time after 7 p.m. Friday night.

In a press conference held hours before its scheduled release, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, called the video “horrific” adding that she was unable to watch it. Those who have viewed the footage have expressed outrage over the officers’ actions, and major cities nationwide have taken steps to prepare for any unrest triggered by the video.

Nichols’ parents asked the community to remain peaceful, no matter how devastated they are by the footage.

“We want peace,” Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said. “We do not want any type of uproar. We do not want any type of disturbance. We want peaceful protest. The family is very satisfied with the process, with the police chief, with the D.A.”

On Friday, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were jailed on a series of charges stemming from Nichols’ death, including second-degree murder.

They’re accused of violently beating and excessively tasing Nichols shortly after they pulled him over on suspicion of reckless driving on Jan. 7.

Police said a “confrontation” occurred and that Nichols’ attempted to flee on foot before another “confrontation” unfolded. He died at the hospital three days later.

At the press conference, Nichols’ mother and stepfather expressed they had wanted the officers to be charged with first degree murder but are satisfied with the charges as they stand.

“My son is looking down smiling,” Rowvaugh said. “You know it’s funny, he always said he was gonna be famous one day. I didn’t know this is what he meant.”

The mourning mother then became emotional for a moment before addressing the officers involved in the deadly stop.

“To the five police officers who murdered my son: you also disgraced your own families when you did what you did,” she said. “But you know what? I’m gonna pray for you and your families because at the end of the day, this shouldn’t have happened.”