Tyre Nichols’ funeral had been scheduled nearly a month after he was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop on January 7, where he died in a hospital three days later. He was 29 years old. Five of the former Memphis police officers have been fired and arrested on multiple charges, including aggravated assault and second-degree murder. A sixth officer has also been placed on administrative leave following Tyre’s death, although it hasn’t been reported what role he had in the incident, per The New York Times. Find out more about Tyre’s funeral arrangements here.
When is Tyre Nichols’ funeral?
Tyre’s funeral will be held at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on Wednesday, February 1 at 10:30 a.m. CST, according to local CBS affiliate WREG. The church held its first service after the video footage from Tyre’s police encounter on Sunday, January 29. Pastor Dr. J. Lawrence Turner held a service, titled “Tyre Deserves Answers,” where he paid tribute to him and called for police reform, via Action News 5. “We want his family to know he will not be forgotten, and the fight is not over,” he said during the service. “We also want to start what is going to be a movement to finally bring police reform to our country.”
Tyre’s mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells have also been invited to the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, February 7, per CBS News.
Who will be at the funeral?
While many more public officials will likely be in attendance at the funeral, it has been announced that civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy, as he also did at George Floyd’s funeral. Tyre’s parents’ attorney Ben Crump will also speak at the service.
Many of Tyre’s loved ones will also definitely be at the funeral. His mother and stepfather paid tribute to him during an appearance on The View on Monday, January 30. RowVaughn spoke about what a caring person her son was during the interview. “Tyre was a beautiful soul. Tyre, he loved his son. He loved his family. He loved his mother. He was just a beautiful person. Everyone that he came across, he touched in a positive way,” she said.