A fundraiser for the family of Tyre Nichols, who died following a violent encounter with police, has raised over $830,000.
Nichols’s mother RowVaughn Wells initially set up the GoFundMe with the goal of raising $800,000 to cover their time off from work in order to “turn our full-time attention to seeking proper justice for our son” and their mental health services. After it surpassed their goal, they raised a new goal for one million dollars in order to build a skate park in their son’s honor as he loved the sport.
Wells lived with Nichols, 29, in a home near to the location where five police officers beat him after he committed a minor traffic violation. In the since released footage of the incident, Nichols is seen abandoning his car to run in the direction of his home after officers attempted to pepper spray him. Once officers catch up to him, Nichols is heard screaming for his mother.
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The Memphis Police Department showed the footage to Wells and the rest of Nichols’s family before they released it to the public. Wells warned those who visit the fundraiser page that it is “horrific.”
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“He had never been in trouble with the law, not even a parking ticket. He was an honest man, a wonderful son, and kind to everyone,” Wells said of Nichols. “He was quirky and true to himself, and his loss will be felt nationally.”
Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith have since been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, aggravated assault-act in concert, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping Haley, Martin, and Smith were released after paying a $350,000 bond, and Bean and Mills were also released on a $250,000 bond.
