U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday attended the funeral of Tyre Nichols, the young black man who died of wounds inflicted by five police officers after a beating in the city of Memphis.
The White House announced Tuesday that Harris would attend the funeral along with the Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders. Nichols’ parents invited the vice president by phone earlier in the day, the lawyer representing the family said, Bloomberg has learned.
Although Harris has not spoken, his presence is symbolic in the context of the protests that have been recorded continuously in recent days by the death of the young man, which has caused the termination of at least seven officers in the Memphis Police Force.
Reverend J. Lawrence Turner, pastor and officiant of the service, has assured that Nichols was «a good person, a beautiful soul, a son, a father, a brother, a friend.» «A human being gone too soon, denied his rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,» he added, as reported by NBC News.
Among those in attendance were Philonise Floyd, the younger brother George Floyd, the African-American citizen who died during his arrest by police officers in Minneapolis, as well as Tamika Palmer, whose daughter Breonna Taylor died after being shot by police during a raid in 2020.
Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10 from wounds inflicted by five former Memphis police officers, who will be prosecuted for allegedly committing felony murder. The young man died three days after police arrested him for allegedly driving his motorcycle recklessly.
His death has provoked in recent days a new wave of protests against police brutality in cities such as Memphis, New York and Washington, among others, which has put the Black Lives Matter movement back on the table.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
