MEMPHIS -- Vice President Kamala Harris plans to attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after he was beaten by Memphis police officers just minutes from his home, the White House said Tuesday.
Harris was invited to attend today's funeral services by Nichols' mother and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, according to the vice president's press secretary, Kirsten Allen. Harris spoke by phone with the Wells family on Tuesday, expressing her condolences and offering her support. President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Nichols' family last week.
Harris will be joined by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a senior adviser to the president for public engagement, and Mitch Landrieu, a White House senior adviser and infrastructure implementation coordinator, who is a former mayor of New Orleans, Allen said.
Five Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in Nichols' Jan. 7 beating and subsequent death. Video of the beating, which was released publicly last week, shows that many more people failed to help Nichols, who was also Black, beyond the five officers charged in his death.
Two more Memphis police officers have been disciplined and three emergency responders fired in connection with Nichols' death, officials said Monday. Officer Preston Hemphill, who is white, and another officer whose name wasn't released, have been suspended, police said.
Late Tuesday, some Memphis media outlets reported that four of the five officers charged with murder in the case had previous infractions on their records, according to personnel files obtained through records requests. Most involved procedural violations, car accidents and equipment. Two of the officers, Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills Jr., received reprimands for failing to file "response to resistance" forms after incidents involving women they arrested, according to the files.
Nichols' family, the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump planned to gather Tuesday evening at the historic Mason Temple in Memphis -- where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech the night before he was assassinated -- to speak about the latest developments in the case.
Memphis Police Department officers used a stun gun, a baton and their fists as they pummeled Nichols during the nighttime arrest. Video shows Nichols running away from officers toward his house after he was pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving.
The five officers chatted and milled about for several minutes as Nichols remained on the ground, but other authorities were on the scene. Two Shelby County sheriff's deputies also have been suspended without pay while their conduct is investigated.
Nichols' older brother, Jamal Dupree, told CNN's Don Lemon on Tuesday that he feels guilty because he wasn't there to protect his younger sibling.
"The one time he got into an altercation with other humans, we wasn't there to protect him. My brother was trying to cooperate with them," Dupree, who lives in California, said of the Memphis officers.
Dupree said he hasn't watched the police video.
"Police brutality is nothing new. I already knew they treated my brother like an animal. They treated him like he was nothing. I don't have to watch the video to know that," Dupree said.
Nichols' sister, Keyana Dixon, was among more than 100 friends, family and supporters who gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday at a skate park in Sacramento, where Nichols grew up, The Sacramento Bee reported.
"This was his favorite place to skate," she said at the vigil. "I just want to thank all of you for your continued support for our family, and making sure his name is never forgotten."
Nichols' funeral is set for today at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. Sharpton will give the eulogy, and Crump will speak immediately after the funeral. Those expected to be in attendance include Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd.
Information for this article was contributed by Gary Fields, Darlene Superville and Rebecca Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Rodney Wells, stepfather of Tyre Nichols, speaks at a prayer gathering at the site where Nichols was beaten by Memphis police officers, and later died from his injuries, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Sierra Rogers, who called Tyre Nichols her best friend, stands next to a memorial, after a prayer gathering at the site where he was beaten by Memphis police officers, and later died from his injuries, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Rodney Wells, stepfather of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, speaks at a news conference with civil rights Attorney Ben Crump, seen comforting Tyre's mother RowVaughn Wells, in Memphis, Tenn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Civil rights attorney Attorney Ben Crump speaks at a news conference with RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, and his stepfather Rodney Wells, in Memphis, Tenn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Authorities on Friday were set to release police video depicting five Memphis officers beating Nichols, a Black man whose death resulted in murder charges and provoked outrage at the country’s latest instance of police brutality. Family members of Tyre Nichols pleaded for any protests to remain peaceful. (AP Photo)
Candlelight illuminates photo of Tyre Nichols during a vigil for him late Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, at Regency Community Skate Park in Natomas, where Tyree used to skateboard when he lived in Sacramento, Calif. Nichols, who moved to Tennessee in 2020, was fatally beaten by Memphis police earlier this month. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP)
Rodney Wells, center, stepfather of Tyre Nichols, listens to speakers at a prayer gathering at the site where Nichols was beaten by Memphis police officers, and later died from his injuries, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A group of demonstrators gather at dusk in Shelby Farms Park in response to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers following a traffic stop, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Tyre, who had a hobby in photography, frequented the park to photograph sunsets. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Minister Charita McCoy speaks at a prayer gathering at the site where Tyre Nichols was beaten by Memphis police officers, and later died from his injuries, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)