How and where did Dyer Nichols die? Preliminary autopsy data

(CNN) — Dyer Nichols, 29, was arrested Jan. 7 by Memphis officers on charges of reckless driving. He was involved in a confrontation with Memphis police officers and “bleeding profusely from a severe blow,” according to preliminary results of an autopsy commissioned by lawyers for his family.

“Preliminary findings show that the tire was hit hard enough to bleed profusely, and we can say that his observed injuries are consistent with the video footage of his confrontation with police on January 7, 2023, seen by family and lawyers,” said attorney Benjamin. Crump said in a statement.

CNN asked Crump for a copy of the family-commissioned autopsy, but said the full report was not yet ready. Authorities have also not released Nichols’ autopsy.

As officers approached the vehicle, a “situation” ensued and Nichols fled on foot, police said. Another “situation” ensued before officers chased him down and took him into custody, police said. Nichols later complained of difficulty breathing, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died three days later, police said.

Why was Dyer Nicholls arrested?

Officials have not released video of the arrest. However, the family’s lawyers, who saw him on Monday, described it as a brutal police beating that lasted three long minutes. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Nichols was electrocuted, pepper-sprayed and restrained, and compared it to the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police.

The Memphis Police Department has fired five officers for violations of excessive force, duty to intervene and duty to assist policies.

“The severity of this incident is not a reflection of the good work our officers do every day with integrity,” said Chief Cheryl Davis.

Federal investigation

Also, two members of the city’s fire department were fired. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced an investigation into Nichols’ death, and the US Department of Justice and the FBI opened a civil rights investigation.

Nichols worked with his father at FedEx for about nine months, his family said. He loved Starbucks, skateboarding at Shelby Farms Park, and photographing sunsets, and he had his mother’s name tattooed on his arm. He also had Crohn’s disease, a digestive problem, so he weighed 130 to 140 pounds despite being 6-foot-2, his mother said.

Nichols’ death on Jan. 10 follows recent high-profile cases of police use of excessive force against civilians, particularly young black men. Crump has previously represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Brona Taylor.

Family members and lawyers watched footage of the incident Monday and said they were disturbed by what it showed.

“He was helpless the whole time. He was a human piñata for those cops. Three minutes of unadulterated, brazen, nonstop beating from this young man. That’s what we saw on that video,” said prosecutor Antonio Romanucci. “It’s not just violent, it’s barbaric.”

“What I saw on video today was horrific,” Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said Monday. “No father or mother should witness what I saw today.”

Crump described the video as “appalling”, “regrettable” and “terrifying”. “What did I do?” After Nichols asked, Nichols’ mother Rowan Wells said she couldn’t watch the first few minutes of footage. At the end of the recording, the prosecutor said, Nichols could be heard calling his mother three times.

CNN’s Dakin Andone and Pamela Kirkland contributed to this report.