Tyre Nichols' lawyer urges lawmakers to pass police reform urgently

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A lawyer representing the family of Tyr Nichols has called on the US Congress to pass police reform legislation immediately in the wake of his death.

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Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten by five police officers in January.

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Speaking to the US media, Ben Crump urged President Joe Biden to use Mr Nicholls' death to garner support for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

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Mr. Nichols' mother is coping with her son's death in the hope that her death can spark change

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Crump said, "He believes in his heart that Tyr was sent here on a mission and that more good is going to come out of this tragedy."

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The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was introduced in 2021 after Mr Floyd was killed by a white police officer kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. His death sparked international protest.

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The bill would put a federal ban on the use of chokeholds by police and make it easier to bring charges against officers who violate them.

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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives - then controlled by the Democratic Party - passed the bill in March 2021, but it was later blocked by opposition in the Senate.

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Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP civil rights group, also called on legislators to take action.

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But Republican House of Representatives Judiciary Speaker Jim Jordan warned politicians not to rush legislation.

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