Who Was Tyre Nichols? What We Know About Man Killed After Memphis Traffic Stop

On weekends, Tyre Nichols often visited the city park to take photographs of the sunset. He found that photography allowed him to view the world creatively and express himself in ways that words could not. He particularly enjoyed taking landscape shots and was particularly drawn to the warm colors of the setting sun, according to his family.
“My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens,” Nichols
On January 7th, Nichols, a 29-year-old father who enjoyed photography, was on his way home after taking pictures of the sky when he was pulled over by police. Tragically, just a short distance from his home where he lived with his mother and stepfather, he was killed in an alleged brutal attack by five Memphis police officers.

These officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in relation to his death. wrote. “People have a story to tell, why not capture it.”
“Nobody’s perfect, nobody. But he was damn near,” his mother, RowVaughn Wells, said at a news conference this week, moments after she watched the video of her son being beaten to death. “He was damn near perfect.”

He was the baby of their family, born 12 years after his closest siblings. He had a 4-year-old son and worked hard to better himself as a father, his family said. He was an avid skateboarder from Sacramento, California, and came to Memphis just before the pandemic and got stuck. But he was fine with it because he was with his mother, and they were incredibly close, Wells said. He had her name tattooed on his arm.   
At a memorial service this week, friends remembered Nichols as a joyful and beloved person. "Whenever he entered a room, everyone would love him," said Angelina Paxton, a friend who traveled from California to attend the service. Nichols grew up in Sacramento, California and spent much of his time at a local skate park on the outskirts of the city. The park could be a challenging environment for younger kids, but Niko Chapman's parents felt comfortable letting their 10-year-old son walk there alone as long as Nichols was there.

“You remember people that are really kind to you, and Tyre was just a really kind person,” Chapman said. “He just always made me feel really welcome.”
Curtis Chapman, the father of Niko Chapman, ran a youth group at a local church that would often meet at the skate park for pizza. Nichols quickly became a regular member, known for his energetic spirit and quick wit. But outside of the group, Nichols would often visit the Chapman's home to discuss life and seek advice. Curtis Chapman said "What drew me to Tyre was that he was genuine, he would talk about the challenges of being a young father and how he wanted to be a good one."

Nichols would attend a Bible study on Thursdays with his friend Brian Jang. On one occasion, the group watched a sermon about how the world is filled with distractions. According to Jang, Nichols was deeply affected by the sermon, to the point that he took out his flip phone and placed it in a cup of water.
“I thought it was awesome, just seeing his growth and his commitment,” Jang said.
The last time Jang saw Nichols was in 2018 at the food court in a local mall. The two hadn't seen each other in awhile, but Jang said Nichols came up behind him and gave him a big hug as the two caught up.

“It's honestly pretty devastating to see such a good human go through such unnecessary brutality, such unnecessary death,” Jang said.

His mother said she raised him to love everyone openly — until they give you a reason not to. So Nichols was quick to make friends.

In Memphis, Nichols went to Starbucks every morning, and Nate Spates Jr. would hang out with him there. They chatted about sports or life. Spates was with his wife once when they ran into Nichols there, and they all talked for a couple of hours. Afterwards, Spates said his wife commented, “He’s got such a good spirit and soul and calm presence.”
Nichols worked second shift at FedEx with his stepfather. Every day, they’d come home together on their break at 7 p.m., and his mother would have a meal waiting for them.
Wells said she'd offered to buy her son Jordans, the popular athletic shoes, but he didn’t want them.

“He was just his own person,” she said. “He didn’t follow what anyone else was doing.”
When he wasn’t working, he went to the park to skateboard and take pictures. His website, called This California Kid, starts with an invitation: “Welcome to the world through my eyes.”

He included a gallery of what he considered his masterpieces: bridges and railroad tracks rendered in black and white, the neon lights of Beale Street at night. He took pictures of pink flowers, sunsets over the Mississippi River, fields of grass, statues of Elvis. He highlights a quote from another photographer: “A good photographer must love life,” it begins.

After she watched the video of her son’s death, she stood with her family and their lawyers at a lectern, shaking, to convey what the world lost.

A lawyer described the beating shown in the video — “he was a human piñata” — and Wells turned her head away, burying her face into her hands.

In the video, which will be released Friday to the public, Nichols is heard saying he just wants to go home, family lawyers said. He was less than 100 yards from his mother’s house.

Lawyers described the last words Nichols is heard saying — calling for his mom, three times.

“Oh my God,” she wailed as they spoke. “Oh my God.”

She still finds herself waiting for him to walk in the door every day at 7 p.m.

“It’s not even real to me right now. I don’t have any feelings right now,” she said. “I know my son Tyre is not here with me anymore. He will never walk through that door again.”