TOPSHOT - Reverend Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference at Mason Temple: Church of God in Christ World Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 31, 2023. - The family of Tyre Nichols, attorney Ben Crump, and Reverend Al Sharpton are speaking to the media to respond to the administrative action against two additional Memphis police officers, and the firing of three Memphis Fire Department employees. (Photo by SETH HERALD / AFP) (Photo by SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images)
The funeral for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who passed away due to police brutality during a traffic stop in Memphis last month, is currently underway at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Tennessee.
The memorial service for Tyre Nichols began at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church at 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EST). It is expected to be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, a brother of George Floyd and the mother of Breonna Taylor.
The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy according to Yahoo news.
“Five armed police officers against one unarmed Black man. That’s not (being the police) that’s being a punk,” Sharpton said to a large round of applause from those in attendance.
Sharpton added: “you better think twice now before you shoot an unarmed man. You better think twice now when you apply a chokehold, like in the case of George Floyd.”
And as for qualified immunity, “your wife would be telling you before you leave for work, ‘behave yourself! You want to be a tough guy?’ Because we could lose our home, our car. Let’s see if you have the same manners on the Black side of town that you do for the white side of town,” Sharpton went on to say to a rousing applause.
To watch the funeral live online, please watch the embed video from TMZ below.
“It touched me when I heard Tyre yell out for his mother (in his time of death) just like George Floyd did,” Rev. Sharpton said.
Meanwhile, Ben Crump gave praise to local community activists, claiming the country would not have been aware of this tragedy without their hard work.
The funeral comes just days after the firing of three EMTs who responded to the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols following an internal investigation, according to the Memphis Fire Department.
On Monday, Robert Long, JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker were all found to have violated department rules and protocols in connection to their response for Nichols on January 7.
Additionally, “two Shelby County deputies and Memphis Fire Department employees” have been relieved of duty.
Five police officers have since been charged with murder in Tyre Nichols’ death: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith.
Two of the officers, Mills and Smith, have already posted $250,000 bond & were released.
Other ways to watch: Yahoo News is streaming the service on its live feed. You can watch Tyre Nichols’ funeral on Yahoo News’ website and mobile app by clicking here.
