The memorial fund for Tyre Nichols has grown to nearly $1.5 million, according to the GoFundMe page his family set up after the 29-year-black man died from injuries sustained in “confrontations” with five Memphis Police officers.
As of Wednesday, the fund had received $1.477,930 in donations, well on its way to its $1.6 million goal. To date, the memorial fund has received more than 36,700 donations, according to the site.
Contributions have slowed since the memorial account’s creation in late January, according to previous media reports. The fund raised $1.17 million from 30,200 donations in its first two days.
“My husband and I have had our entire world turned upside down by what happened to our son. We are two hardworking, loving parents, that now have to turn our full-time attention to seeking proper justice for our son, Tyre Nichols,” RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mom, wrote on the page.
Wells is organizing the fundraiser, which will help cover the cost of the family’s mental health services, time off from their jobs, and the construction of a skate park in honor of Nichols, who loved to skate, according to the site.
A federal grand jury in Memphis on Tuesday returned a four-count indictment against former Memphis Police officers Emmitt Martin III, 31; Tadarrius Bean, 24; Demetrius Haley, 30; Desmond Mills, Jr., 33; and Justin Smith, 28. The fired detectives with the controversial SCORPION unit, all black, have been indicted on federal civil rights, conspiracy, and obstruction charges in the January death of Nichols.
Mills, Bean, Haley, and Smith appeared in court on Wednesday, each pleading not guilty. The defendants were released on $50,000 bond each under the condition they do not contact each other. The also must turn in their passport and aren’t allowed to have a gun or ammunition, according to ABC24.
An attorney for Martin told the news outlet his client would surrender Thursday morning.
“The country watched in horror as Tyre Nichols was kicked, punched, tased, and pepper sprayed, and we all heard Mr. Nichols cry out for his mother and say ‘I’m just trying to go home,’” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video release. “Officers who violate the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect undermine public safety, which depends on the community’s trust in law enforcement.
The former officers face several charges in Shelby County, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated kidnapping following the brutal beating death. Nichols died days after a traffic stop in which the members of the SCORPION (“Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) team claimed that Nichols was driving recklessly. Investigators have said there was no evidence to back up those charges.
They were released in that criminal case on bail amounts ranging between $250,000 and $350,000.
On the federal charges, the five former officers face allegations that they aided and abetted one another in violating Nichols’ right to be “free from the use of unreasonable force…” with the assault resulting in bodily injury and Nichols’ death. The second count alleges the officers were indifferent to Nichols’ serious medical needs.
Both counts carry a maximum life sentence.
Wells did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment. But on the GoFundMe page, she writes that her son was “just trying to get to my house for safety — which was only a few blocks away from where the incident happened.”
“My baby was just trying to make it home to be safe in my arms. Tyre was unarmed, nonthreatening, and respectful to police during the entire encounter!” Wells stated.
“During my son’s interaction with the police, they beat him beyond recognition until he became unconscious. He was then taken to a hospital and immediately placed on life support. He died 3 days later, but I believe that my son died on January 7th, the moment those 5 Black Memphis Police Officers pulled Tyre over and beat him to death for no good reason,” she asserted. “His cousin who saw him in the hospital, swollen and disfigured, like ‘he was a scary monster.’”
George Floyd’s uncle Selwyn Jones called the federal civil rights charges against the former Memphis police officers “a righteous decision” after “another disgusting case of police violence in America.” Floyd, a black man, died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in late spring 2020. His death sparked a wave of “social justice” protests and demonstrations nationally, many of them, led by the Marxist group Black Lives Matter, devolved into rioting, looting, destruction, and violence.
Jones is the co-founder of the Hope929Foundation, a charity focused on promoting civil rights in honor of his nephew.
Wells said she just wants justice for her son, who was “loved by his community and was known to be gentle, kind, and joyful.”
“He was known as someone ‘you know when he comes through the door he wants to give you a hug’ and that ‘he wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ the grieving mother wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“He had never been in trouble with the law, not even a parking ticket. He was an honest man, a wonderful son, and kind to everyone. He was quirky and true to himself, and his loss will be felt nationally,” Wells said.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
