«In 2021, a Times investigation found that over the previous five years, police officers had killed more than 400 motorists who were not wielding a gun or knife, or being pursued for a violent crime. That’s a rate of more than one a week.

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The videos shared some elements with many recordings of the killings examined by The Times. Police officers used aggressive language — angrily cursing and threatening Mr. Nichols as they pulled him from the driver’s seat.

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Policing experts have told The Times that officers often react more aggressively to drivers who don’t obey commands — punishing anyone who exhibits what’s called “contempt of cop.” Mr. Nichols was polite when he was initially being yelled at by the officers, before he ran.

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Some police-reform advocates also told The Times that if someone who is pulled over for a minor reason tries to run or drive away, the best police response is let them go, and then track them down later. While some jurisdictions have tried to ban police chases, they still happen often. In this case, the police had Mr. Nichols’s car, and most likely could have used that to find him.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/27/us/tyre-nichols-memphis/fatal-beating-in-memphis-echoes-other-deadly-traffic-stops-analyzed-by-the-times?smid=url-share