Washington: President Joe Biden called for a full investigation into the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black driver in Memphis, Tennessee, who died after injuries suffered during a traffic stop earlier this month, and urged demonstrators to protest peacefully.
"I join Tyre's family in calling for peaceful protest," Biden said in a statement Thursday. "Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable."
Biden mourned Nichols's death, calling it a "painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all." The president added that Black and brown people are disproportionately more likely to die at the hands of law enforcement.
Five police officers, all of them Black, were charged Thursday with second-degree murder in relation to Nichols's death earlier this month, the Associated Press reported. Biden's statement did not make reference to the charges.
