Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said video of the Jan. 7 traffic stop that allegedly led to Tyre Nichols‘ death left her “horrified,” “disgusted,” “sad” and “confused.”
“In my 36 years, […] I would have to say I don’t think I’ve ever been more horrified and disgusted, sad […] and, to some degree, confused,” Davis told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview Friday on “Good Morning America.”
“As we continue to try to build trust with our community, this is a very, very heavy cross to bear — not just for our department but for departments across the country,” she added. “Building trust is a day-by-day interaction between every traffic stop, every encounter with the community. We all have to be responsible for that and it’s going to be difficult in the days to come.”
Nichols, 29, died in a hospital three days after a confrontation with police during a traffic stop in Memphis on Jan. 7. Video of the incident, comprised of footage from the city’s surveillance cameras and the former officers’ body-worn cameras, has yet to be made public but is expected to be released on Friday evening.
Last week, the Memphis Police Department fired five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — in connection with Nichols’ death. All five men were arrested on Thursday and each charged with several felonies, including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, official misconduct and official oppression, according to online jail records for Tennessee’s Shelby County and a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
