Tag: Ben Crump

Family of Tyre Nichols to Hold Candlelight Vigils to Commemorate First Anniversary of His Death

Kaitlin Housler
Candle Light Vigil

The family of Tyre Nichols, who five black Memphis police officers beat following a traffic stop and foot chase last year, will hold two candlelight vigils on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of his death.

Nichols’ family, who is being represented by civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, will hold a vigil in Memphis at the intersection of Castlegate Lane and Ross Road at 7 p.m. CT and in Nichols’ hometown of Sacramento, California, at the Tyre Nichols Skate Park at 5 p.m. PST.

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Lawyer Ben Crump Demands Memphis Mayor Paul Young Accept Tyre Nichols Ordinances Despite Ex-Mayor Warning They Are Illegal

Tom Pappert
Ben Crump

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump reportedly urged Memphis Mayor Paul Young to embrace the police reforms passed through city ordinances following the death of Tyre Nichols last year, even after former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland claimed the ordinances were illegal.

Crump, who represents family members of Nichols, said in a statement issued on the anniversary of Nichols’ death that the family and legal team “are deeply disturbed by the recent revelation by former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland that he actively avoided signing and enforcing the Driving Equality Act in honor of Tyre Nichols that the Memphis City Council passed in Spring 2023.”

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Former Memphis Police Officer Charged in Tyre Nichols’ Murder Pleads Guilty to Two of Four Counts in Federal Plea Deal

M.D. Kittle

Desmond Mills Jr., one of five former Memphis police officers charged in the January beating death of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop, has pleaded guilty to two of four criminal charges in the nationally watched federal civil rights case, and several charges in a state case.

Mills appeared Thursday morning before Judge Mark Norris in the Western District of Tennessee.

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Attorney Ben Crump Claims Leonard Cure Was ‘Triggered’ by Georgia Deputy Before Fatal Shooting

Tom Pappert

The attorney representing the family of Leonard Cure, who a Georgia deputy fatally shot during a traffic stop, claimed on Friday that Cure was “triggered” by law enforcement before the struggle that preceded his death on October 16.

Cure was fatally shot by a Camden County Sheriff’s deputy last week when he refused to cooperate with the deputy after being pulled over for allegedly driving more than 100 miles per hour. Video released by the Camden County Sheriff’s office reveals that, after being tased, a struggle ensued between the deputy and Cure. It continued despite the deputy deploying his baton and striking Cure, and only ended when the deputy removed his pistol and appeared to fire once into Cure’s abdomen.

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Video Shows Wrongfully Convicted Man Struggled with Deputy Before Fatal Shooting, Family Blames ‘Psychological Trauma’

Tom Pappert

The family of Leonard Cure, a man fatally shot by Georgia law enforcement, seemed to blame mental illness after Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor released videos of the incident. Cure was once wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for over 16 years before he was released in 2020.

Cure was allegedly driving in excess of 100 miles per hour when he passed a Camden County deputy. Video released by the sheriff’s office shows Cure did not immediately pull over his vehicle after the deputy activated his vehicle’s lights, but instead continued driving to pass other traffic before pulling over to the highway’s shoulder.

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City of Memphis Says It Will Release All Recordings from Tyre Nichols Traffic Stop

M.D. Kittle

Facing allegations of a cover-up, the city of Memphis says it will release all audio and video recordings in the deadly Tyre Nichols traffic stop. 

“The City is preparing to release these recordings publicly upon completion of the administrative investigation, which is expected to occur in the next few weeks,” Jennifer Sink, Chief Legal Officer for the city of Memphis, said in a statement. “

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Transparency Troubles Dog Memphis Police Department Again in Tyre Nichols Case

M.D. Kittle

On January 15, the Memphis Police Department issued a statement on its “internal investigation” into the death of Tyre Nichols — five days after the 29-year-old black man died. MPD said it “was important to take swift and deliberate action to maintain transparency, accountability, public trust, and legitimacy amongst our community.” 

But the troubled police department has had a host of transparency troubles surrounding the brutal beating of Nichols at the hands of five black police officers  – and a history of closed government offenses. 

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Minneapolis Fugitive Killed by Marshals Posed for Photo with BLM Lawyer Ben Crump

Peter D'Abrosca

Winston Smith, the man killed by U.S. Marshals in Minneapolis after he reportedly fired a weapon at them when they attempted to take him into custody over an outstanding state warrant, posed for a photo with high-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump, apparently while he was a fugitive from justice. 

The photo was posted to Smith’s Instagram with the caption “#Greatness” on May 24. 

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Florida Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Falsely Claims Columbus Shooting Victim Was Unarmed

Grant Holcomb

Tallahassee-based civil rights attorney Ben Crump falsely claimed on Twitter yesterday the victim of the police-involved shooting in Columbus, OH was unarmed. As bodycam footage was released, it found the victim, a 16-year-old black female, Ma’Khia Bryant, was wielding a knife and threatening two other females.

Some on social media were outraged at the lethal use of force by the officer, including Crump who said on Twitter, “As we breathed a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as @ColumbusPolice killed an unarmed 15yo Black girl named Makiyah Bryant. Another child lost! Another hashtag. #JusticeForMakiyahBryant.”

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Full Autopsy Released, Shows George Floyd Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Had Meth and Fentanyl in Blood

Anthony Gockowski

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released a full autopsy Wednesday in the case of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was allegedly murdered by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.

The 20-page report was released with the permission of Floyd’s family and determined that Floyd’s heart stopped while being restrained by officers. A summary of the findings released earlier this week listed the “manner of death” as a homicide, but the coroner’s office said that a manner of death classification is “a statutory function of the medical examiner.”

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