By Kimberly Torres
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Progressive Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner Friday weighed in on the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died in a Memphis hospital after being brutally beaten by five policemen from the Memphis Police Department earlier this month.
Krasner said, “Ours is not a caste system, where any group is above the law…When a police encounter results in violence and death, there must be unbiased investigation, transparency, and accountability.”
He added, “As loved ones and community members mourn the needlessly violent and tragically preventable death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father who was killed after being pulled over by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, the process of investigation, transparency, and accountability is underway.
“Fortunately, the chief prosecutor involved is a reformer in criminal justice, who believes in even-handed justice that restores trust between communities and their elected prosecutors. Five Memphis police officers have been fired and are now criminally charged with Nichols’ murder.”
Krasner said he’s met Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, elected last year, and said, “I am hopeful that accountability for the individuals alleged to have brutalized and killed Tyre Nichols will be delivered in a court of law.
“Last year, Shelby County voters chose a criminal justice reformer in DA Mulroy to clean up what many considered to be a notoriously racist and violent criminal legal system – something Philadelphia residents know something about.”
Krasner, noting the video of the police beating of Nichols was released Friday, said, “The American public will be confronted yet again with the reality of systemic, institutionalized injustice. We must reconcile with the painful fact that after the racial injustice uprisings of 2020, police killings and assaults of civilians continued and reached a record high in 2022.”
Krasner added, “It is evident that to achieve justice and peace in our communities requires action, much more than words. DA Mulroy is seeking even-handed justice on behalf of communities that took action and voted him into office…may we be doggedly relentless in challenging those who would seek to shield law enforcement from investigation, transparency, and accountability.”
