Tyre Nichols death: SCORPION Unit 'permanently deactivated'
The five former officers charged in the incident were in the unit.
Officials in Memphis, Tennessee, released dramatic body camera footage Friday of the fatal confrontation between Tyre Nichols and five police officers.
Nichols can be heard screaming "mom" several times during the gut-wrenching clips, which appear to show officers beating and pepper-spraying him after he ran from a traffic stop arrest.
Nichols died at the age of 29 on Jan. 10, three days after the violent confrontation.
The five Memphis Police Department officers involved in his arrest -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith -- were fired and then charged with second-degree murder in connection with Nichols' death.
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Attorney representing ex-Memphis cop speaks out
The attorney representing former Memphis Police Officer Desmond Mills, one of the five charged in Tyre Nichols' death, spoke with ABC News Friday evening.
Blake Ballin said his client was "maintaining a lot of strength" in the last two weeks and asking how he can cooperate with the investigation.
Ballin said he couldn't comment on the details about the incident but contended that he didn't believe that Mills delivered the fatal blow.
The attorney added Mills was a responding officer and not the first to arrive on the scene.
"Everybody played their own role. I suspect you’ll see officers crossed the line but not Desmond," Ballin said.
The attorney said he didn't see the body camera footage of the incident, which is slated to be released to the public later tonight.
-ABC News' Stephanie Ramos
Biden spoke with Nichols' family, has not seen video
President Joe Biden has not seen the Tyre Nichols video that’s set to be released to the public Friday evening, but the president has spoken to Nichols’ family, according to the White House.
“He’s been briefed, but he has not seen the video, nor has anyone at the White House seen the video,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday.
Biden spoke with Nichols’ mother and stepfather Friday afternoon to offer his condolences, a White House official said.
Jean Pierre reiterated that Biden has echoed Nichols' family's calls for calm and peaceful protests. But the White House is “in coordination with the relevant agencies to ensure they prepare if protests become violent,” she added.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Memphis Fire Department reviewing the video
The Memphis Fire Department said it received the video of Tyre Nichols’ traffic stop on Friday and is currently reviewing the footage.
Two Memphis Fire Department employees who responded to the scene where Nichols was injured have been relieved of duty in the wake of Nichols' death.
The Memphis Fire Department said its investigation will conclude early next week.
Nichols family 'very satisfied' with charges
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."
Body camera footage released
Memphis officials have now released the footage of Nichols' confrontation with police.
Four videos were shared to Vimeo by the city of Memphis.
The videos included the warning: "Footage contains graphic content and language. Some may find offense. Viewer discretion is advised."
The city shared footage from three bodyworn cameras, as well as a pole camera, amounting to about 67 minutes total.
The first clip is a body camera video that shows the initial traffic stop where Nichols is pulled out of his car. Nichols can be heard at one point saying calmly, "You guys are really doing a lot right now -- stop, I’m just trying to go home," as he's laying on the ground, before he manages to break free and runs away.
The second clip is city surveillance video taken from the second location, which shows Nichols being hit, kicked and punched by several of the officers, including the use of a baton.
The third clip is body camera video which shows the officers beating Nichols, taken from the vantage point of the officer who can be seen hitting Nichols with a baton in the second clip.
The fourth clip is also body camera video, though less than two minutes in nothing is visible. Audio can be heard, including Nichols yelling out "mom" at least three times. The video becomes visible once again several minutes later, showing Nichols slumped on the ground next to a vehicle.
Nichols' family, who saw the footage earlier this week with their attorneys, supported its public release.