The office of US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday that she would attend Tyre Nichols' funeral in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ben Crump, a family attorney, reported that Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, chatted with Harris over the phone for more than 30 minutes and asked him to the funeral on Wednesday.
"Vice President Harris and Ms Wells spoke exclusively, and during this emotional time, the Vice President was able to console Ms Wells and even help her smile," Crump said. "Mr and Mrs Wells are grateful for Vice President Harris reaching out to them during this heartbreaking time and for her sensitivity on the call."
Crump stated that he would issue a "call to action" regarding Nichols' brutal death at the hands of five Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers who were fired and charged with murder.
During a traffic check on January 7, Nichols was kicked, punched, pepper-sprayed, and struck with a police baton. Nichols died of his wounds on January 10.
The MPD's publication of video footage of the fatal beating has sparked demonstrations and anger around the United States.
The second-degree murder charges were brought against Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith.
Preston Hemphill and an anonymous MPD officer were "relieved of duty" for their participation in the event. Three Memphis Fire Department employees were also terminated for responding to the assault on Nichols.
According to CBS News, New Jersey's US Senator Cory Booker will likely submit police reform legislation in the coming weeks, which might incorporate portions of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
The plan restricts qualified immunity, the controversial legal notion that shields law enforcement and government personnel from liability for on-the-job actions. Additionally, the proposed legislation prohibits racial profiling and curbs police use of excessive force.
Harris has requested that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act be passed "urgently" by Congress.
"To truly honour Tyre Nichols' memory, and the memory of so many others before him, we must demand that our justice system lives up to its name," she stated.
