Bone-chilling temperatures and even colder wind chills did not keep dozens of Memphians from taking part in a march commemorating the two-year anniversary of Tyre Nichols’ murder at the hands of five rogue former Memphis police officers.

Leading the march, not surprisingly, was Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells and her husband Rodney. They were flanked by community and religious leaders, including nationally known attorney Ben Crump, who stood with Nichols’ family two years ago in the aftermath. Also present were the parents of Sonya Massey, a victim of police violence in Springfield, Illinois, in 2024.

“Say his name! TYRE NICHOLS!” were among the chants as marchers retraced the final steps of Nichols’ life: Starting at the intersection of Raines and Ross Roads — where police stopped Nichols for questioning — and concluding at Castlegate Lane, where police finally caught him and beat him mercilessly. Nichols later died from his injuries at Regional One Health. 

In an incredible show of solidarity, grieving father James Wilburn traveled from Pine Bluff, Ark. to join RowVaughn Wells in the march for Tyre Nichols. Wilburn’s daughter, Sonya Massey, was killed in her home on July 6, 2024 by a police officer in Springfield, Ill. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/Tri-State Defender)

The officers were immediately fired, and federal and state charges were filed shortly thereafter against Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. The officers were convicted in federal court last year on charges of deprivation of rights under color of law, excessive force and obstruction of justice. 

Each received lengthy prison sentences, but their state trials for second-degree murder, aggravated assault and official misconduct are still pending. Hearings are expected to begin later this year. The Nichols family has also filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department, alleging gross negligence in hiring, training and supervising the officers involved. 

Last year’s federal trial turned out to be a double-edged sword for Nichols’ family. The officers were convicted of their crimes, but not before the family had to relive the night in intimate detail during the court proceedings.

“ Two years ago, my brother lost his life right here on this corner,” said Nichols’ older sister Kiana Dixon. “Two years ago, I was on the phone with my mother wondering what was taking him so long because she made his favorite meal.  

Kiana Dixon, Tyre Nichols’ sister, fought through emotion as she described being in the courtroom as her brother’s killers were tried. “We had to sit and listen to officer testimony that said my brother was never a threat,” she said. “We had to sit and listen to my brother’s screams and cries.” (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/Tri-State Defender)

“My family had to not only sit through federal court for a month, we had to walk within feet of the murderers who killed my brother,” Dixon said, holding back emotion. “We had to sit and listen to medical examiners name 50-plus abrasions, bruises and scars to my brother’s body. We had to sit and listen to officer testimony that said my brother was never a threat and that (the officer) had a ‘bad day.’ We had to sit and listen to my brother’s screams and cries.

“But tonight, we stand, we stand, we stand together for accountability and justice for my little brother,” she concluded. “Thank y’all for standing with us.”

Rowvaughn Wells admitted that she thought the first year of mourning her son was awful — until the trial started.

“The second year was the worst,” she said. “This year has been unbearable. I had to listen to a cop tell people that they stopped my son for nothing, that he was not a threat,” she said. “We had to hear all this. 

“But what made it difficult is that it finally set in that I would never see my son again,” she said.

Famed Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump returned to Memphis to join Tyre Nichols parents, RowVaughn Wells (2nd from left) and Rodney Wells (far right) for a march on the second anniversary of Nichols’ death. Rev. Walter Womack, president of the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is at far left. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/Tri-State Defender)

Rodney Wells gave an even more sobering commentary.

“You know what’s the sad part about it?” he said. “If our son did not get killed, he would be in jail for something he didn’t do.”
In the wake of Nichols’ death, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a sweeping investigation into the Memphis Police Department (MPD). Those findings, released last month, revealed patterns and practices of excessive force, discriminatory policing and constitutional violations. 

According to federal officials, the investigation was triggered not just by Nichols’ killing but also by broader concerns about systemic misconduct within MPD, including the lack of accountability and transparency in addressing officer wrongdoing.

Community leaders have called for the DOJ’s findings to lead to federal oversight of the MPD and significant reforms, including changes in use-of-force policies, improved officer training and greater public accountability.

“What happened to Ty, it can happen to anybody,” RowVaughn Wells said. “Ty, they say was damn near squeaky clean but look what happened to him.”