Tyre Nichols’ funeral is being held five days after the Memphis authorities released videos showing the brutal police assault on him on January 7. The funeral started at about 1 pm local time at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.

The mother of another Black man who was killed during an encounter with police in Houston, Texas, performed a solo song at the funeral for Tyre Nichols. Tiffany Rachal, the mother of Jalen Randle, sang a rendition of Total Praise by Grammy-winning gospel artist Richard Smallwood as the choir played.

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Rachal is being praised for her gesture.

 

Rachal’s son Jalen Randle was killed by a Houston police officer last year. He was 29. “I pray that God bless you. I pray that God heal your broken heart,” Rachal said to the family.

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Randle was shot and killed by police officer Shane Privette on Josie Street in northeast Houston on April 27, 2022. He was shot in the back of the head after the car he was riding in was pulled over by Houston police.

On January 14, over 100 people gathered at Houston City Hall to demand justice for Jalen Randle. Activists, along with several parents who had lost their children to killer cops, came from around Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Virginia.

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In the three weeks since Nichols’ death, five police officers were fired and charged with murder. Their specialized unit was suspended. Two more officers have been suspended. Two Memphis Fire Department emergency medical workers and a lieutenant were also fired.

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Tyre was the youngest among four siblings. He had a 4-year-old son. He was visiting his family in Memphis from his home in Sacramento, California. When the pandemic started, he decided to stay and got a job working the overnight shift at FedEx. He was an amateur photographer who loved skateboarding and watching sunsets darken the woods and ponds of his adopted hometown.