VP Harris addresses mourners at Tyre Nichols' funeral

Tyre Nichols died three days after the violent encounter with Memphis police.

Last Updated: February 1, 2023, 4:11 PM EST

Tyre Nichols' family gathered in Memphis, Tennessee, for his funeral, weeks after the 29-year-old died following a violent encounter with Memphis police caught on body camera.

Graphic footage of the Jan. 7 traffic stop, which showed officers beating Nichols, was released to the public on Friday and sparked nationwide outrage. Nichols, a young father who loved skateboarding, died on Jan. 10, after spending three days in a hospital.

Five officers involved in the incident have since been fired and charged with several felonies, including second-degree murder.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 01, 2023, 3:14 PM EST

Sharpton: ‘We won’t stop until we hold you accountable'

The Rev. Al Sharpton told mourners that the body camera video “speaks for itself.”

“We understand that there are concerns about public safety. But you don’t fight crime by becoming criminals yourself,” Sharpton said.

An undated photo of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police.
Kris Volker

He vowed, “We won’t stop until we hold you accountable and change this system.”

Sharpton said he wants to see the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed so “you have to think twice before you beat Tyre Nichols. You think twice before you shoot at someone unarmed.”

He added, "If that man had been white, you wouldn't have beat him. ... We're asking to be treated equal."

Tyre Nichols in a 2020 photo, in Conway, Ark.
Courtesy Elizabeth Cabradilla

Sharpton, who was raised by a single mother, said he was "touched" when he heard Tyre Nichols calling for his mother on the video, "just like George Floyd was calling for his mother."

"All he wanted to do was get home."

The Rev. Al Sharpton vowed “we won’t stop until we hold you accountable and change this system.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton vowed “we won’t stop until we hold you accountable and change this system.”

Feb 01, 2023, 3:08 PM EST

Harris to family: 'You have been extraordinary'

Vice President Kamala Harris said to Tyre Nichols’ mother and stepfather, “You have been extraordinary in terms of your strength, your courage and your grace.”

Rev. Al Sharpton listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the funeral service for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
Andrew Nelles/AP

Vice President Kamala Harris sits with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells during the funeral service for Wells' son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Feb. 1, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn.
Pool/Getty Images

“Mothers around the world, when their babies are born, pray to God when they hold that child, that that body and that life will be safe,” Harris said. “Yet we have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today. They have a grandson who now does not have a father.”

RowVaughn Wells stops in front of the casket of her son Tyre Nichols at the start of his funeral service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
Andrew Nelles/AP

Signs rest on the steps of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on the morning of Tyre Nichols' funeral on Feb. 1, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn.
Lucy Garrett/Getty Images

Nichols died in an "act of violence at the hands and the feet of the people who have been charged with keeping them safe," she said. "This violent act was not in pursuit of public safety."

She said passing The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is "non-negotiable."

“Tyre Nichols should have been safe,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at the service.
“Tyre Nichols should have been safe,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at the service.

Feb 01, 2023, 2:49 PM EST

Families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Botham Jean attend service

Families of other Black Americans killed by police -- George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Botham Jean -- came to pay their respects at Wednesday’s funeral.

“They’ve come to be with you on this day from all over the country,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said.

RowVaughn Wells cries as she and her husband Rodney Wells arrive for the funeral service for her son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
Andrew Nelles/AP

Feb 01, 2023, 2:35 PM EST

VP Harris hugs Tyre Nichols’ mom

Vice President Kamala Harris had a long embrace with Tyre Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, when she arrived at the service.

Vice President Kamala Harris hugs RowVaughn Wells during the funeral service for Wells' son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
AP

Harris is sitting next to Wells in the front pew.

Attorney Ben Crump, 2nd left, and Tyre Nichols' parents, RowVaughn Wells, center, and Rodney Wells, 2nd right, arrive at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church ahead of the funeral service for Nichols, in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

RowVaughn Wells and her husband Rodney Wells arrive for the funeral service for her son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2023.
Andrew Nelles/AP

-ABC News' Steph Wash

Related Topics