SCORPION Unit 'permanently deactivated' after Tyre Nichols death

Tyre Nichols' family spoke exclusively with ABC News' Elwyn Lopez following the release of the body camera footage of his encounter with police.

Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said the footage justified that his son was not a threat to the officers.

"For an individual to weigh 150 pounds and be brutalized by five officers, [it] is unheard of and we need the public to see it," he told ABC News.

Wells also called for the prosecution of everyone who was seen in the video, including paramedics and other unidentified officers.

When asked about the part of the footage where Nichols was heard crying for his mother, RowVaughn Wells, she told ABC News that she wasn't there for her son.

"I had this very bad stomach pain pit and I didn't know what it was at the time that night," she said. "I didn't realize that I was feeling my son's pain."

Ben Crump, the attorney representing the family, said the video also raised more questions concerning the other officers who are seen confronting Nichols.

He also criticized the attitude of the first responders seen following the beating.

"They were so nonchalant about everything," he said.

Following the footage's release, two Shelby County sheriff's deputies who were at the scene of the police confrontation have been relieved of their duties pending an investigation, the county's sheriff announced.

"Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols," Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement on Twitter.

Bonner said he has launched an internal investigation into their conduct "to determine what occurred and if any policies were violated."

Both are relieved of duty pending the investigation's outcome, he said.

The Memphis Grizzlies held a moment of silence for Nichols before Friday night's NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

In a pre-game presser, Jenkins was it was "devastating", "another example of police brutality taking the life of one of our own" and "hard to process."

In a pre-game presser ahead of the release of the footage, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said it was "devastating", "another example of police brutality taking the life of one of our own" and "hard to process."

"A lot of emotion," Jenkins said.

Some major police departments released statements condemning the actions of the former officers seen in the body camera video of Tyre Nichols' encounter.

The LAPD tweeted a statement from Chief of Police Michel R. Moore, who called the ex-cop's actions "incredibly disturbing, cruel and inhumane."

"The violation of trust tarnishes our bade and has a caustic effect on the public's trust," Moore said in his statement.

Acting New York State Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli also condemned the former officers.

"We are outraged and sickened, and we also understand the frustration being felt by the public," he said in a statement.