The officers, who were arrested Thursday and booked into the Shelby County Jail, were all released after posting bail. Lawyers appearing for the authorities said they were unable to view the video beforehand. But they urged the community to avoid rushing to judgment. Mr. Blake Ballin, who represents Mills, acknowledged that the content of the video may be distressing for the community to watch, but that the video does not provide a detailed account of what happened. “I don’t know how many angles, I don’t know the perspective,” he said. “Always more to the story.”
City officials decided to wait until 6 p.m. to release the video because that’s when schools and most of the city’s businesses close.
“Very, very few people will be employed,” said Councilman Frank Colvette Jr., of the city’s east side, who was not involved in the planning. “Everybody’s got plenty of time to get home from school, get home from work, and stay home.”
Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas said all City Council members will have a chance to see the video before it’s released. But she was among those who decided not to watch it. Activists with Black Lives Matter of Memphis said they would refrain from doing so.
Ms Wells, Mr Nicholls’ mother, said she was unable to finish it. “I heard it was very brutal, very brutal,” he said. “If any of you have children, please don’t let them see it.”
Ms. Easter-Thomas felt that “you don’t have to see what’s done to know what’s been done.” But she didn’t discourage others. “For some, it helps them see the truth,” he said.
After watching a portion of the video, Mr. One of Colvette’s primary conclusions concerned the character of the officers: “I no longer regard them as Memphians.”
Jessica Jaclois, Jesus Jimenez, Nicholas Bogle-Burroughs And Mark Walker Contributed reporting from Memphis. Reporting also contributed Richard Fawcett,Eliza Fawcett, JC Ford’s, Mitch Smith And Remy Tumin.
