Vice President Kamala Harris to attend funeral of Tyre Nichols

Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols in Memphis on Wednesday, her office announced.

The funeral will be held at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, where Harris will join several other White House officials, including Keisha Lance Bottoms, senior adviser to the president for public engagement, Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser and infrastructure implementation coordinator, and Tara Murray, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died on Jan. 10, three days after he was beaten by several Memphis police officers during a traffic stop. Five officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death. Two other officers were relieved of duty amid an ongoing investigation. Three fire department personnel — two EMTs and a lieutenant — who responded to the scene were also fired.

Footage of Nichols’ violent arrest was released by Memphis officials Friday evening. Before its release, President Biden spoke with Nichols’ mother and stepfather.

Taken from police body cameras and street surveillance cameras, the footage shows officers removing Nichols from a vehicle after he was pulled over, followed by a struggle when Nichols broke loose and ran away from officers. Disturbing images then follow of Nichols being restrained and beaten by five Memphis police officers.

Nichols’ death and the release of the footage have reignited calls at the federal level for policing reforms.