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Peaceful Protests Take Place In Memphis, Tennessee, And Other U.S. Cities After Video Released Of Memphis Police Beating Tyre Nichols To Death; President Biden Speaks To Nichols Family After Release Of Video Of Memphis Police Beating Tyre Nichols; San Francisco Superior Court Releases Video and Audio of Attack on Paul Pelosi; Congressman George Santos Faces New Questions After Campaign Amends Campaign Finance Forms And Listed Political Treasurer Without Permission; More Than 15 Million People Under Winter Weather Alerts As Dangerously Cold Air Moves Into Northern Plains And Upper Midwest. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired January 28, 2023 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:17]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone, and thanks for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington, D.C. I'm in for Fredricka Whitfield today.

And we begin with a city and a nation in shock just hours after Memphis police released videos of the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols. The full videos, released last night, show five former Memphis police officers repeatedly beating the 29-year-old. And I want to warn you, what you're about to watch is extremely graphic. The videos document Nichols being pulled over earlier this month for alleged reckless driving. Police are then seen yanking Nichols from his car, chasing, kicking him, using pepper spray and batons.

Nichols, unarmed, cries out for his mother at one point. He died from his injuries three days later in the hospital. And those videos sparking largely peaceful protests all across the country. Earlier this week, the five officers involved were charged with second degree murder. And now after this video has come out, two officers from a different department who are also on scene that night have been put on leave pending an investigation into their conduct.

CNN's Boris Sanchez breaks down these newly released videos. And again, a warning for you, they're very graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother as Memphis police officers struck him multiple times, including in the face while his hands were restrained. The city on Friday night released body camera and surveillance video of the January 7th traffic stop and beating that led to the 29-year-old's death in the hospital three days later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to see a disregard for life. SANCHEZ: After officers pulled Nichols over and pulled him out of his

car, a struggle ensued, and he ran away. Minutes later officers would catch up with him and hit him numerous times, video shows. During the initial encounter after the stop, bodycam video from an officer arriving at the scene shows that Nichols sounded calm. As the officer approaches the scene, an officer is yelling at Tyre Nichols.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out the -- car.

SANCHEZ: Officers then pull him out of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry --

SANCHEZ: Nichols responds.

TYRE NICHOLS: All right, I'm on the ground.

SANCHEZ: Officers yell at him to lie down and threaten to tase him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands behind your back.

NICHOLS: You guys are really doing a lot right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lay down.

NICHOLS: I'm just trying to go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lay down.

SANCHEZ: A struggle ensues. Nichols gets up and runs, and the officers chase him. A different bodycam video shows some of what happens when officers catch Nichols on a neighborhood street just minutes later. Nichols screaming for his mother as the video shows an officer arriving at the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me your hands.

SANCHEZ: Officers tell Nichols to give them his as a struggle ensues on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to get sprayed again?

SANCHEZ: Two officers hit and kick Nichols as he's on the ground.

NICHOLS: Mom!

SANCHEZ: Nichols continues calling for his mom. An officer is eventually heard yelling at Nichols.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to -- us.

SANCHEZ: A remotely operated, pole-mounted police surveillance video in the neighborhood gives the clearest view of the blows. This shows officers hitting Nichols at least nine times without visible provocation. When the camera first turns towards the scene, an officer shoves Nichols hard to the pavement with a knee or leg. Nichols is pulled up by his shoulders and then kicked in the face twice. After being pulled up into a sitting position, Nichols is hit in the back with what appears to be a night stick. After being pulled to his knees Nichols is hit again.

Once pulled to his feet, the video shows officers hitting Nichols in the face multiple times while his hands are restrained behind his body, after which he falls to his knees. Less than a minute later an officer appears to kick Nichols again.

More than three minutes after the encounter is first seen on this camera, officers let go of Tyre Nichols and he rolls on his back. One minute later, Nichols is dragged along the pavement and propped up in a sitting position against the side of a car where he's largely ignored by officers for the next three-and-a-half minutes. Some 10 minutes into the video, a person who appears to be a paramedic finally engages with Nichols. The U.S. Department of Justice has said it is conducting a federal civil rights investigation of Tyre Nichols' death.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DEAN: And that was Boris Sanchez reporting for us.

I want to bring in CNN senior crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz now. Shimon, we now have these videos out for the public to see. What happens next?

[14:05:05]

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: While the investigation obviously goes on, the D.A. telling us just because these five officers were charged does not mean that other people don't potentially face charges, does not mean that there may be additional charges. There are also administrative, perhaps, charges against other officers, the police chief here in Memphis indicating that her investigation is still ongoing.

I think there's just still a lot of questions, because when you look at this video, there were so many more officers present who didn't intervene, who didn't help Tyre Nichols. And so you have to ask questions about those officers. And then, of course, learning late last night that there are these two sheriff's deputies who were there and are now placed on leave. And the EMTs, the big question about the medics, why didn't they do more? It would be some 20 minutes before a stretcher would arrive and take Nichols to the hospital.

So all of those questions, of course, still remain and the Department of Justice and their investigation and whether or not they come into this town and start asking some serious and hard questions about the culture of this police department and what's been going on here in this city.

DEAN: All right, no doubt about it, a lot more to come on this. Shimon Prokupecz in Memphis for us. Thanks so much for that update. And President Biden is speaking out about the video, saying he is

outraged and deeply pained by the brutal violence he saw against Tyre Nichols. CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz is joining us now live from outside the White House. Arlette, tell us what more Biden had to say.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, President Biden released a statement about 30 minutes after the public release of that video that showed that beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers in Memphis. And the president echoed the outrage that many are feeling in this country after watching that video. The president said in his statement, quote, "It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain and the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day."

Now, in the president's statement he also urged that any protests that ensue following the release of this video, that they stay peaceful, a call that has also been made by the family of Tyre Nichols. The president also says that he believes there needs to be a full and swift investigation into this matter, and that that is something that the family deserves.

Now, President Biden yesterday actually had the opportunity to speak with the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, and there is a very rare video. We don't often get to see these videos of President Biden calling these families to offer condolences, but yesterday there was video captured by "The Washington Post" of the family receiving that phone call. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- on your comments today were moving. I don't know how you do that. Rodney, I know as Tyre's dad, it's devastating.

RODNEY WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' STEPFATHER: Yes, sir.

BIDEN: I know people will say that to you. But I do know. I lost my son in a war, a consequence of the war in Iraq being there a year. And I lost my daughter when a tractor-trailer broadsided and killed my wife and daughter. And I don't know how you stood there. I didn't have the courage to do what you did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: We have often heard from President Biden talk about these issues relating to police brutality both as president, if you think back to when the verdict and the sentencing for Derek Chauvin in the trial regarding George Floyd was first announced, and even thinking back to his campaign. He was quite vocal after the death of George Floyd as well.

Now, in his statement yesterday the president said that the way to try to prevent these types of incidents from happening in the future is for meaningful reform. He has pointed to his desire for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. That is completely stalled up on Capitol Hill. The president has tried to take some limited actions where he can to address police reform. But as the Congress is currently divided, it remains to be seen whether anything could actually get done up on Capitol Hill.

Now, President Biden as he was departing the White House yesterday for Camp David was also asked what's at stake for the country in this moment, and he said the image of the country is at stake. So the president certainly expressing very -- speaking in very personal terms when it comes to this video relating to the beating and death of Tyre Nichols and also those condolences he offered to the family.

DEAN: Arlette Saenz at the White House for us, thanks so much.

The San Francisco Superior Court has released the video and audio of the October attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The disturbing footage includes police bodycam video showing the moment the suspect hit the 82-year-old with a hammer, and what he planned to do to the speaker. CNN's Camila Bernal is covering this for us. Camila, walk us through what's in this video and this audio.

[14:10:03]

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Jess, it's really not easy to watch this video, but it is now the time that we get to see and hear that moment, that attack. We are essentially going inside the Pelosi house thanks to these videos. We see one of the surveillance videos from outside the house as David DePape tries to get into the house, and then we also have the video in the house right before the attack and as the attack is happening, as these police officers are outside of their door.

Now, I do want to get to that video quickly, but I also want to warn you that it is graphic. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on, man?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything's good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the hammer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. Hey, hey, hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is going on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We not getting an answer --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Send backup, code three. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, there is a before this video and after this video. Let's start first with the before. We also have newly released audio, 911 audio, where you hear Paul Pelosi speaking to the 911 dispatcher. David DePape also chimes in in this 911 call. He is trying to essentially keep the situation calm as he speaks to that dispatcher. Here is that audio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is San Francisco police. Do you need help?

PAUL PELOSI, HUSBAND OF REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI: Oh, well, there's a gentleman here just waiting for my wife to come back, Nancy Pelosi. He is just waiting for her to come back, said she's not going to be here for days, so I guess we'll have to wait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, do you need police, fire, or medical for anything?

PAUL PELOSI: Uh, I don't think so. I don't think so.

Does the -- is the Capitol police around?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, this is San Francisco --

PAUL PELOSI: They're usually here. They're usually here at the house protecting my wife.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BERNAL: Now, after that call to 911, officers respond to the house here behind me, and that's when that attack happens. Now, after all of this, police officers interviewed David DePape, and there is also newly released audio of that interview. It's when you hear him admitting to attacking Paul Pelosi and wanting to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. In all of this he also says that if Nancy Pelosi lied to him he was going to break her kneecaps. So a lot of disturbing details, some that we had already read in those documents.

It is important to point out that David DePape has pleaded not guilty to a number of state and federal charges, and he says through his attorney that he will continue to plead not guilty to all of this.

In the meantime, though, Nancy Pelosi saying that she doesn't want to watch this video, she doesn't want to comment on this video. But she had told reporters that her husband is essentially taking this recovery one day at a time because it is going to be a long recovery. Jess?

DEAN: No doubt about it. It is so disturbing to watch that. Camila Bernal for us, thanks so much.

And still to come, new financial disclosures from embattled Congressman George Santos raising new questions about who paid for his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the source of that money? Sir? Why can't you divulge -- sir, why can't you divulge the source of the money?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:17:51]

DEAN: Memphis and the nation trying to process the reality of the horrific video showing Tyre Nichols beaten by Memphis police. And for more on the legal ramifications of all of this I want to bring in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Mark O'Mara, and also criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis, and former police officer, David Klinger. Great to see both of you. Thanks for coming on with us.

Mark, let's start with you. We know the five officers are facing charges including second degree murder, and given what we have seen in all of these videos, do you believe the charges will stand? And do you think even more, they could expand at this point? We know a couple other law enforcement officials have now been put on leave, that sort of thing.

MARK O'MARA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, you're right, it may actually expand because, although they're being charged right now with what they look at on that tape. But here is the thing about a first- degree murder charge. Even though we never charge our cops with first- degree murder, that type of premeditation, we now know since the George Floyd days we are now looking at cops through a different prism. And when cops don't act, when cops allow an event to happen over four, five, ten minutes, then maybe they should be held responsible to an even higher standard.

And look, if they were not police officers who were doing that, the argument would be you had enough time to reflect, and the failure to act can be considered premeditation. So we are in a new era, I think, of looking at police behavior under a different eye towards possible prosecution.

DEAN: Yes, that's an interesting point. And in these videos we see the violence and then also the aftermath as the officers talk about what just happened. And I want to play a clip where they're talking about their firearm, another clip about how Nichols was allegedly acting. Let's listen to it and then we will come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See him go for my gun, too, so I'm like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He grab --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going for my gun and everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wallet. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, this -- I ain't even -- look, he got him out

of the car.

[14:20:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, bro, you good?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He swarmed. Bow. He hit me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He reached for my gun, you slam to the car and gone from there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He literally had his hand on my gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He on something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That mother --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He on something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: David, what are these moments telling you, that they're standing there talking like this? Another guest that we had on kind of theorized they know they're being recorded and that they're saying these things on purpose. What do you make of what we just watched?

DAVID KLINGER, FORMER LAPD OFFICER: Well, I can't put myself into their head, but let's assume for the moment that everything that they say is correct, let's say that the suspect, the decedent now, was high on something, and let's say he did grab at an officer's gun. Well, that happened well before the time where the endpoint beatdown went on, and so that's immaterial. If someone assaults you at some point, you don't get to assault them five minutes or ten minutes or three minutes later.

So it might be relevant to the point of what went on at the moment that this gentleman said he was reaching for Mark's (ph) gun. I'm going to assume that that is the officer who was speaking, said he reached for my gun. That was something that happened back then. That doesn't justify what went on down the line.

And police officers deal with people who are high on intoxicants all the time on a regular basis. That does not justify the strikes to the face, the strikes to the head, the kicking, the strikes with the baton, the punches.

And then the other thing that's remarkable to me is absolute incompetence, not being able to control this individual with multiple officers. They had him on the ground. To let him get up, unacceptable. Pepper spraying each other. It is hard for me to discern exactly which officers' pepper spray cross-contaminated into other officers, but utter incompetence that then led to what certainly appears at this point to be pretty serious criminality.

DEAN: Right. At one point his hands are behind his back, he is handcuffed it appears, and they are hitting him in the face.

Mark, I'm curious, going through all of this video, what moments are standing out to you as you are watching this, and do you think there's any kind of key moments that could play a big role when these officers, former officers go to trial?

O'MARA: Well, there are several of them where the officers obviously had a moment to reflect, a moment to catch their breath, a moment to think, OK, even if I just overreacted by hitting him in the face with his hands behind his back a minute ago, take a breath, act like the training -- supposedly the training that you had has taught you.

And what we have seen is time and time again within these very videos is this ongoing anger and violence towards somebody who is basically under control three or four, five different times. And I think that's going to play very difficult in front of a jury, to sit back and try to give officers cover when they had a moment to reflect, when they had an opportunity to deescalate. They're supposed to be trained to deescalate. Even if you thought he was on drugs, even if you did reach for your gun -- and by the way, I think that was them setting up a defense on video. But even if that were true, you are the trained professionals. You don't get to do exactly what was just said, you don't get overreact two minutes after you had an event happen.

DEAN: And David, while he is bloodied on the ground, we see the officers walking around, they're picking up their supplies, they're flushing their own eyes after the pepper spray that you mentioned. But they're doing nothing to help Nichols who is clearly very injured. How could that be used in the courtroom?

KLINGER: I don't know what sort of theory the prosecution is going to move forward with, but it is certainly not going to suggest to any reasonable juror that they cared for this gentleman's humanity, they cared for his safety. Once again, utter incompetence. One of the things that I was taught 40-some years ago when I was a young police officer is once you arrest somebody, that is your prisoner. Your job is to, among other things, and we were taught this 40-plus years ago, protect that prisoner from any other police officer who might try to come in and do something inappropriate.

And to just leave him there, falling over it appeared to me multiple times, who knows if he received some of his injuries at that point. He is handcuffed, he's defenseless. He's got his hands behind his back and he tips over. His head could have smashed on the asphalt. And then the paramedics, I don't know what they were thinking.

There are two words that ring out in my brain every time I think about this stuff. Number one is "incompetence." Number two is "inhuman brutality." So I guess three words.

DEAN: Yes. Incompetence and inhuman brutality, yes.

KLINGER: Inhuman brutality and incompetence. Just unbelievable.

DEAN: And Mark, I know you defended George Zimmerman in the trial over the death of Trayvon Martin that got incredible national attention, international attention. This is getting incredible national attention and international attention.

[14:25:06]

How does that type of focus and media attention, what does that do for the case? Does that complicate things for prosecutors, for the defense as the court proceedings begin to move along?

O'MARA: Well, it does for the whole system because obviously this case is being tried and cannot be otherwise -- is being tried in the media right now because we are all seeing it. It makes it more difficult to get a, quote, fair jury as when we need to get one. But on the other hand, good lawyers, good judges, good prosecutors will get a jury who can be fair and hear this case.

It does make it more difficult for the defense, but also, what is interesting about this is we now have yet another opportunity for the rest of us, for the citizens to look at this and see how cops are treating our citizens accused because that's what Mr. Nichols was. Yes, he was arrest have had but he was a citizen accused.

And we have to come to terms with how we are allowing our law enforcement, who generally speaking do a great job, how we're going to allow them to treat us. And I'm almost in one sense glad that we are taking the racial component out of this, because this wasn't white cops on a black kid that we've seen so many times before. We now have black cops on a black kid, and now we have to focus more on law enforcement, not just racial tendencies of law enforcement.

DEAN: David Klinger and Mark O'Mara, we appreciate you both stopping by. Thanks so much.

O'MARA: Thank you for having me.

We will be right back.

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[14:30:50]

DEAN: Congressman George Santos continues to deflect questions about his campaign finances. He's facing new questions after his campaign amended his campaign finance forms and listed a political treasurer on them without that man's permission. CNN's Eva McKend has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why did you amend your FEC reports to say $500,000 --

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: New questions surrounding Congressman George Santos's campaign finances.

REP. GEORGE SANTOS (R-NY): Let's make it very clear. I don't amend anything. I don't touch any of my FEC stuff, right. So, don't be disingenuous and report that I did, because you know that every campaign hires fiduciaries. MCKEND: Santos trying to dodge reporters after his campaign filed updated finance reports with federal regulators late Tuesday. The New York Republican previously claimed he lent his campaign more than $700,000 from his personal funds. Those revisions would appear to indicate most of that loan didn't come from him after all. But he is still listed as a source of the loans elsewhere in his filings, deepening the confusion about the source of the substantial sum.

RAJU: What was the source of your funds, sir? Sir, why can't you divulge the source of the money?

MCKEND: In two of the new filings, one related to that loan of $500,000, and one for $125,000. Boxes previously checked indicated they had come from personal funds, were now left unchecked, confounding campaign finance experts.

JORDAN LIBOWITZ, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, CREW: Either this is incredibly sloppy bookkeeping, or he's saying this wasn't really his money. And in that case, there's a legal question of whether this is an illegal pass-through contribution, is this an illegal corporate contribution? There are a number of ways he could have pushed money that was not actually his to his campaign, but they aren't legal.

MCKEND: And while it is not unusual to update a campaign finance report, Santos has routinely amended his filings multiple times.

LIBOWITZ: This week, in one very short period, he amended 10 filings from -- I believe they were the last 10 filings his campaign made. The filings date back to, I believe, April of 2021. So something clicked, and they went back and redid everything.

MCKEND: Other pressing questions remain about the dozens of disbursements just under $200, one penny below the threshold above which campaigns are required to retain receipts. And just how Santos acquired so much wealth in such a short amount of time remains a mystery and something Santos has declined to answer.

SANTOS: It's the equity of my hardworking self that I've invested inside of me.

MCKEND: Federal officials have launched an investigation into his finances.

LIBOWITZ: If there's anyone whose books needed to be audited, it's probably George Santos.

MCKEND: In new filings, campaign officials listed Thomas Datwyler as the treasurer of several of Santos' committees. But Datwyler's lawyers tell CNN he declined that role and did not authorize the filings made by Santos's team. So, this treasurer they listed on documents says he isn't the treasurer.

Eva McKend, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Eva, thank you.

And still to come, how the sports world is reacting to Tyre Nichols shocking arrest video, right ahead.

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[14:38:17]

DEAN: The world of sports is reacting to the gruesome arrest video of Tyre Nichols. CNN World Sport anchor Patrick Snell is joining us now. Patrick, what are you hearing?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN ANCHOR, WORLD SPORT: Hi, Jessica. Yes, reaction and plenty of it, I can assure you, as you'd can expect, has been coming in from right across the sporting community here in the United States. And just the context here, I really want to give a big-picture context here because this is really important.

The NBA's Grizzlies, they're the only pro sports team in Memphis, and as such there is indeed a really special and closeknit bond between the team and the local community there. On Friday evening, meantime, the Grizzlies taking to the court. This was in Minnesota, and really emotional scenes ahead of the game as Tyre Nichols is honored by both teams with a moment of silence as well before tip-off against the Timberwolves. I want to hear now from the Grizzlies head coach. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TAYLOR JENKINS, HEAD COACH, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Our team understands that our city is hurting, the Nichols and Wells family is hurting right now. The senseless loss of life for Tyre Nichols has really hit us hard. And it's been tough being on the road, not being home. And I wish I could extend my arms through this camera right now to the family. They're going through a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Taylor Jenkins there.

Meantime, this reaction from one of the Grizzly's star players, the youngster Jaren Jackson Jr., "To the Nichols family, my teammates and I have been paying attention. We are with you. To Memphis, we are hurting, too. Peaceful protests supporting the family, pushing for accountability, is what is needed in this moment."

While the NBA itself also taking to Twitter, "The images of Tyre Nichols' life needlessly cut short are horrifying.

[14:40:02]

While there have been steps toward accountability in this instance, the NBA family remains committed to partnering with advocates, policymakers, and law enforcement to work towards solutions to the issues we continue to face." And other reaction as well, Jessica, this one the high-profile NASCAR

driver Bubba Wallace, also via social media, "I have sat here for 12 hours not knowing what to say. Still don't. Tyre Nichols, I love you. May you rest in peace, my beautiful brother."

Jessica, we are indeed continuing to monitor reaction as it comes in. I do want to also add that the Grizzlies, they play again on Sunday when they take on the Indiana Pacers. And that game is at home. So you can be sure, you can expect another really emotional occasion there as well.

DEAN: I'm sure. I'm sure. Patrick Snell for us, thanks so much.

And this just into CNN. The University of Georgia now says the use of a vehicle carrying four members of the UGA football program was unauthorized when two were killed in a crash earlier this month. In a statement, the university says the vehicle was one of several leased by the athletic department for use only during recruiting activities, and that personal use was strictly prohibited. Georgia football player Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy both died in the crash January 15th just hours after the team celebrated its national championship victory.

Coming up, dangerous arctic air returns this weekend to the northern plains and upper Midwest. That means more than 15 million people are under winter weather alerts. We'll have your latest forecasts. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:04]

DEAN: Right now more than 15 million people are under winter weather alerts as dangerously cold air moves into the northern plains and upper Midwest. The frigid weather is already causing some traffic chaos in Wisconsin. Officials there believing snow, ice, and white-out conditions were a factor in this massive 85-car pileup yesterday. At least 21 people were hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, what kind of conditions can people expect?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a lot of cold temperatures but also snow and even some ice. We all know that ice is very dangerous when it accumulates on roadways. You have got winter weather alerts stretching from Michigan all the way back towards Idaho, so it is a rather large system. You have several low-pressure systems that are riding right there along a front.

These are fast-moving systems but very intense, so that allows them the ability to still be able to dump pretty decent amounts of accumulation of snow. Widespread, you are talking four to six inches. Some areas could pick up closer to a foot, certainly a foot in the higher elevations of states like Colorado and Wyoming. That first wave out into the west, that's going to gradually make its way into the Midwest on the heels of the first system that's already there now. The bulk of the northern sidle is all going to be snow. The southern

side is going to be rain. It is that area in between across portions of Missouri as well as Illinois where the concern is going to be for freezing rain. Not much of it is expected, but it doesn't take much. Even a quarter of an inch of accumulation can cause big problems on the roadways.

And you've got two different areas, the one for later today and then a second round for Sunday. And again, you can see these accumulations not high, but it also doesn't take that much. And then cold temperatures, windchill advisories, Jessica, where we are talking temperatures as cold as minus 20 to minus 40.

DEAN: Oh, geez. And look, we know it's January, it's winter. Everybody is out there is, like, of course. But what makes this event special, because this does sound like people need to take precautions?

CHINCHAR: Right, and I think that's just it. It's what have we been used to up to this point? We have got these above-average temperatures in the far east right now, but really much of two-thirds of the eastern half of the country have been so warm to start off this year. Take, for example, Chicago, Kansas City. They've averaged nine degrees above normal for January. Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, six degrees above normal. so this comes in as a very quick shock as those cold temperatures begin to drop back down.

And again, it's also the wind. We talked about that. When you factor in the wind on top of the temperature, that feels-like gets down to that minus 20 to minus 40 on any exposed areas of skin.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

He was a mama's boy, the heartbreaking words of Tyre Nichols' mother as she remembers the life of her son. Next, CNN's exclusive sit down with his parents.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Lastly today, in the wake of a week bookended by violence in America, I want you to hear the powerful words of Tyre Nichols' family. His parents talked to CNN just after the charges were announced against the five fired police officers involved. And here's part of their conversation with my colleague, Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You wanted first-degree murder charges.

ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: Yes.

LEMON: You didn't get that.

WELLS: No. The charges that were filed against those officers are good charges. Those are the charges that I feel will stick. And so, I'm happy with the charges that the district attorney has set forth.

LEMON: Mom, when did you first learn about this? How did you hear?

WELLS: The Memphis police department banged on our door approximately around between 8:30 and 9:00, asking if we knew Tyre Nichols. And we said, yes. What's going on? He's been arrested. Arrested for what? DUI. DUI? My son don't drink like that. What do you mean, DUI? Well, we had to pepper spray him and tase him, so he's being attended to by the paramedics, and we'll send him to the hospital. And then after that, he'll go to booking.

[14:55:01]

What? They then asked me, was he on any type of drugs or anything of that nature, because he was -- they were saying that it was so difficult to put the handcuffs on him and he had this amount of energy -- superhuman energy. And what they were describing was not my son. So I was very confused.

I asked if I can go to the hospital. They told me, no. They left. My husband and I, we got in our car and went to go see if we could find Ty, because he wasn't answering his phone or anything. When I asked them where my son was, they said nearby. Nearby? What is nearby? I got nothing from them.

I think now that I'm actually putting things together, I believe they were trying to cover it up when they first came to my door.

When my husband and I got to the hospital and I saw my son, he was already gone. They had beat him to a pulp. He had bruises all over him, his head was swollen like a watermelon, his neck was busting because of the swelling. They broke his neck. My son's nose looked like an "S." They actually just beat the crap out of him. And so when I saw that, I knew my son was gone then. Even if he did live, he would have been a vegetable.

That was my baby. He was a mama's boy. That boy loved me to death. He has my name tattooed on his arm. People don't know what those five police officers did to our family. And they really don't know what they did to their own families. They have put their own families in harm's way. They have brought shame to their own families. They have brought shame to the black community. I just feel sorry for -- I feel sorry for them. I really do. I really feel sorry for them.

LEMON: Why do you say that?

WELLS: Because they didn't have to do this. And like I said, they brought a lot of shame to their own family. Once you see this video, and I know I didn't see it, but from what I hear, it's horrific. And the humanity of it all. Where was the humanity? They beat my son like a pinata.

My son, he was -- he had Crohn's disease. He had surgery in 2013. My son weighed a buck 50. He was 6'3" and weighed a buck 50. And those men, if you combine their weights, they all -- it was over 1,000 pounds beating and beating a 150-pound person to death. Because that's what they did. They beat my son to death.

LEMON: He cried out for his mom.

WELLS: Yes. Yes, he is cried out for me, because I'm his mother, and that's what he was trying to get home to safety. And it was funny. I was in the room earlier and my stomach started hurting so bad and I went into the den and I told my husband, my stomach is hurting so bad. And once I found out what happened, it was just the fact that I was feeling my son's pain. I was feeling my son's pain when they were beating him to death.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DEAN: Tyre's mother started a GoFundMe page with the donations going in part towards a memorial skate park in honor of Tyre and his love of skating and sunsets.

Last night after that video came out, about $82,000 had been donated.