Family of Tyre Nichols to attend State of the Union
(NewsNation) — The family of Tyre Nichols accepted an invitation to attend the State of the Union, NewsNation correspondent Joe Khalil confirmed.
On the heels of the graphic body camera video being released of Nichols, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) extended the invitation to the family, a spokesperson for Rep. Steven Horsford, Chairman of the CBC, told NewsNation.
The caucus is also calling for a meeting with President Joe Biden. The president said he was “outraged and deeply pained” to see the video of the beating in Memphis that resulted in Nichols’ death.
Nichols was violently beaten during a traffic stop on Jan. 7 and died in police custody three days later. Five officers involved in the 29-year-old’s arrest are facing murder charges. The officers were assigned to a team called the Scorpion Squad, which has now been deactivated. Two Shelby County deputies who responded to the scene have also been “relieved of duty” and are under investigation.
Since the body camera footage was released Friday evening, protests have popped up in multiple areas for mostly peaceful demonstrations.
The White House said last week it is interested in pursuing some kind of police reform, and the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation connected to the case.
Biden is slated to deliver the State of the Union address on Feb. 7.