Tire Nichols was a father, a man who loved his mom and a free-spirited soul who was looking for a new life in Memphis, Tennessee, relatives said.
That life was tragically cut short after the violent arrests of five Memphis police officers earlier this month.
Now, as attention turns to the charges against the officer involved, Nichols’ family wants the world to know who he is.
The 29-year-old is the youngest of four children in the family. He was a “good boy” who would do his laundry every Sunday and get ready for the next week, said his mother, Row Vaughn Wells.
Most of all, Nichols loved being a father and loved his son, his family said.
“As the father of his 4-year-old son, everything he did was to better himself,” attorney Ben Crump said at a family news conference.
Nichols is the one who brings joy to everyone.
“When he walks in the door, he wants to give you a hug,” Crump saysspeaking on behalf of Nichols’ family.
His mom said Nichols’ daily life was sometimes mundane as he worked and spent time with his family, but he also made time for his passions.
Nichols worked at FedEx for about nine months, and he worked at FedEx for about nine months, she said.
He would come home during his break to eat with his mom, who would make dinner.
Nichols loves his mom’s homemade chicken with sesame seeds, just the way he likes it, Wells said.
When he’s not working, Nichols goes skateboarding at Shelby Farms Park, something he’s been doing since he was 6 years old. His mom said he’d wake up on Saturdays to go ice skating, or sometimes, he’d go to the park to watch the sunset and snap a photo of it.
“My son wants to watch the sunset every night, it’s his passion,” she said.
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