WASHINGTON DC — Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama this Saturday condemned the “cruel” beatings several police officers inflicted on African American Tyre Nichols, who died days later in a hospital.
The Obamas responded on Twitter to video of the beating posted Friday, which sparked protests in several US cities.
“The cruel and unjustified beating and death of Tire Nichols at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest painful reminder of how much America still needs to do to improve the way police patrol our streets,” they said you.
The Obamas, the first African American family in the White House, added that every American has an opportunity to advocate for change.
Obama, whose arrival at the White House in 2009 was taken as a sign of the end of discrimination against African Americans, has faced several moments of racial tension during his tenure with protests over the killing of unarmed black citizens at the hands of police.
In the Nichols case, all five officers, who were African American, have since been arrested and face various criminal charges, including second-degree murder.
Videos released by Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. authorities show police officers beating Nichols, 29, kicking him in the head and insulting him while the victim shouted, “Mom, Mom” and “Give me a minute.” .
The Memphis Police Department released the video on Friday. It includes footage from the police body camera and a surveillance camera on a pole.