Five Memphis ex-police officers charged with murder of Tyre Nichols | First Thing

Nichols, 29, died three days after a traffic stop in Memphis turned violent. Plus, the rise of queerbaiting accusations

Good morning.

Five former Memphis police officers have been charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist in Memphis, Tennessee, who died three days after a 7 January traffic stop spiraled into violence.

How did Nichols die? In a three-minute attack, Mulroy said. An independent autopsy indicated extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating", an attorney representing his family reportedly said. He was a human pinata for those police officers," the family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, told reporters. Not only was it violent, it was savage."

When will the video footage be released? Memphis authorities said they would release video of the incident. Family members and their attorneys have already seen it. During the press conference yesterday, officials indicated that the footage would be released after 6pm local time today.

What happened? Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers arrived at daybreak yesterday at several entrances to the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold in the north of the Palestinian territory, said Sakir Khader, a Palestinian-Dutch film-maker at the scene. Armed Palestinians shot at an Israeli armoured vehicle disguised as a commercial van, at which point the IDF returned fire and a fierce four-hour gun battle ensued, causing widespread damage, he said.