Questions about the Tyre Nichols incident

[reason10]

So far, nobody here has brought any of this stuff up. There are a lot of unanswered questions pertaining to the incident where Nichols wound up injured enough to die in three days. And this isn't any commentary on whether or not this  or that happened. I'm going to assume the facts in evidence, particularly because they come from officers' body cams.

1. Anybody think it's strange that there are FIVE cops on the scene?

I'm pretty sure that the average patrol car does not have FIVE cops riding in it. Usually, two cops sitting up front, with room in the back to transport a perp.

According to this story, Nichols' reckless driving attracted the attention of several cars: 

https://thefederalist.com/2023/01/31/are-we-allowed-to-consider-law-enforcements-side-of-the-tyre-nichols-incident/

2. Does anyone think it is strange that the body cams recorded the fact that the cops shouted 71 commands in a 13 minute period of time?

https://www.foxnews.com/us/memphis-cops-reportedly-gave-tyre-nichols-71-commands-13-minutes-so-far-norm

None of the articles specify who said what, but I'm pretty sure commands came from more than one officer. I just thought that was a big peculiar.

3. How does reckless driving figure into all of this?

https://www.mytennesseedefenselawyer.com/criminal-charges/reckless-driving-laws/

Not all traffic offenses are as simple as a ticket. Sometimes a traffic offense can turn into a permanent mark on your record. A traffic citation for reckless driving is a criminal charge. Even though you may not have been arrested, handcuffed, and brought to jail, a ticket for reckless driving in Tennessee has the same seriousness as any misdemeanor criminal offense.

So if Nichols WERE driving recklessly, (and so far there is no street cam footage to either prove or disprove that) this would be a traffic stop for a misdemeanor. We can't even be certain there was probably cause for the stop, although I'm pretty sure the footage will appear when the officers go to trial. Either that or their attorney should be disbarred for incompetence. But if the traffic cams show NO reckless driving, why did the cop cars pull Nichols over?

4. What about the CONTEMPT OF COP thing?

I know some eyebrows just went up. From REASON magazine:

https://reason.com/2023/01/30/why-did-other-cops-fail-to-stop-the-lethal-assault-on-tyre-nichols/

The Memphis, Tennessee, police officers who lethally beat, pepper-sprayed, and tased Tyre Nichols after a January 7 traffic stop were clearly out of control, delivering punishment for what they perceived as "contempt of cop" in the guise of making an arrest. Yet during the 13 minutes that elapsed between the stop and the police radio report that Nichols had been taken into custody, no one else who was present intervened to stop the blatantly illegal use of force.

I'm wondering about that. Nichols did not have a criminal record. The only thing that caused his encounter with the officers who killed him was a reckless driving charge. Is it possible he had some kind of history with those cops in the past, either personally or professionally? Why during the stop did the cops drag him out of the car? It is possible for cops to have such a short fuse that some ignoramus yelling "I didn't do nuthin" might be just enough of a spark to touch off an ass whooping. But is that what happened? Or is there more to this?

Or is it as simple as "contempt of cop?"

https://www.foxnews.com/us/memphis-cops-reportedly-gave-tyre-nichols-71-commands-13-minutes-so-far-norm

Alpert explained that the phenomenon of "contempt of cop," when officials would physically punish civilians for what they perceived as disrespect or disobedience was more rampant in the ‘80s but started to phase out in the 90s and 2000s even before the widespread introduction of body cameras.

I still say that if a couple of cop cars pulled me over, I would have my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance out. I would keep my mouth shut and do precisely what the officers said. I would look them directly in the eyes. I would answer their questions honestly and with respect.

But I'm starting to think this might just be a "black" thing, something cultural. Maybe some blacks are just getting tired of that lame "I didn't do nuthin" crap. They weren't justified in beating a man to death just because he pissed them off, thought.