SCORPION Unit 'permanently deactivated' after Tyre Nichols death

Tyre Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, said at a news conference Friday that he’s “very satisfied with the charges” against the five police officers, including second-degree murder.

Although Wells initially said he wanted to see the officers charged with first-degree murder, he said, “As the charges were told to us and they explained to us what the difference between murder one and murder two was, we're very satisfied with the charges.”

Wells pleaded with the public to protest peacefully.

“We want peace. We do not want any type of uproar,” he said.

Wells added, “The family is very satisfied with the process, with the police chief, the D.A. They acted very, very quickly in this case. We are very, very pleased with that. Other cases drag on, but this is a special case. We had a special son.”

Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said she didn’t watch the body camera video of her son's confrontation with police and urged people to not let their children see it.

Law enforcement, Nichols’ family and the family attorneys have already seen the video that’s set to be released to the public Friday evening.

RowVaughn Wells said the five officers charged in connection to her son's death disgraced their families, but said she'll pray for them and their families.

She added, "No mother should go through what I'm going through right now. No mother. To lose their child to the violent way that I lost my child."

0:55

Mother of Tyre Nichols anguished over son’s death

Nichols, 29, died three days after an encounter with Memphis police officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

WATN

Tyre Nichols family attorney Antonio Romanucci stressed the fact that the charges against the Memphis police officers include kidnapping.

By Tennessee law, he said, “the definition that we are dealing with here on this kidnapping charge -- it is terrorism."

"When you think of 9/11, what's the word that comes to mind? Terrorism. When you think of other heinous acts that have happened in churches across this country, any act of terrorism, what does that instill in you? That, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition that we are dealing with here on this kidnapping charge," he said at Friday's press conference. "It is terrorism. It was designed to terrorize the victim."

Family attorney Ben Crump added, “One of the things that must be stated about the kidnapping charge … when you all see this video, you're going to see Tyre Nichols is calling out for his mom.”

“He calls out three times for his mother. His last words on this Earth is, ‘mom,’” Crump said. “When you think about that kidnapping charge, [Nichols] said, 'I just want to go home.' I mean, it's a traffic stop, for God's sake.”

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Ben Crump describes Tyre Nichols' last words

The Nichols family lawyer said his last words were him repeatedly calling for his "mom."

ABCNews.com

Ben Crump, an attorney for Tyre Nichols’ family, is applauding the charges, including second-degree murder, that were “swiftly” brought against the five Memphis police officers involved in Nichols’ traffic stop.

“When we look at how these five Black officers, who were caught on camera committing a crime, and when we look at how fast the police chief and the police department terminated them," Crump said at a news conference Friday. "And we look at how swiftly the district attorney brought charges against them in less than 20 days, then we want to proclaim that this is the blueprint going forward for any time any officers, whether they be Black or white, will be held accountable.”

"We won't accept less going forward," Crump said.

"We have a precedent that has been set here in Memphis," he said.

Crump said he intends to file a civil suit against the SCORPION organized crime unit to which the involved officers belonged based on other excessive force allegations made against the unit. His co-counsel, Antonio Romanucci, called for Memphis police to disband the unit immediately.

Crump said the family wants to create a law in Tennessee named after Nichols that will emphasize the importance of officers having a duty to intervene when they see crimes being committed, even if the crimes are being committed by fellow officers.

-ABC News' Whitney Lloyd

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Friday that he’s watched the video and "was appalled."

"I’m struggling to find a stronger word, but I can tell you I was appalled," Wray said.

He said alerts have been sent to FBI field offices across the U.S. instructing them to work closely with state and local partners "in the event of something getting out of hand" after the video is released to the public Friday evening.

Wray added, “There is a right way and a wrong way in this country to express being upset or angry about something, and we need to make sure that if there is that sentiment expressed here, it is done in the right way.”

-ABC News’ Alex Mallin