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Memphis Releases Deadly Police Beating Video; Protests Shut Down Interstate Bridge In Memphis; Two People Wounded In Shooting Saturday In Jerusalem Attacks; Russian Artillery Rains Down Across Eastern Front Lines In Ukraine. Authorities Release Recordings From Assault At Pelosi Home. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired January 28, 2023 - 05:00   ET

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

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Shook, outrage and protests across the U.S. after surveillance video shows how Memphis police officers brutally beat a 29-year-old man who died from his injuries.

And another video we're just seeing the moment when the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is attacked by a home intruder. And there's been another shooting in Jerusalem following the deadly attack at a synagogue. We'll go live in the city for the latest.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We're seeing a lot of anger across the United States this morning and demands for police reform. But all of it has been peaceful when the American cities were on edge that they might not be. This after the city of Memphis released shocking police videos of the January 7 attack.

In Memphis, for example, protesters marched onto a major interstate bridge across the Mississippi River. Bridging traffic to a standstill for a time. No arrests were reported. Tyre Nichols died three days after the violent encounter. He was just 29 years old. His funeral has been set for next Wednesday.

All five officers have been fired, and on Thursday, they were charged with second degree murder, kidnapping, and other offenses. The first arraignments are set for next month.

So, we want to play some of the newly released videos. They are difficult and disturbing to watch, and there's a lot of foul language. Now, we don't see Nichols being pulled over for alleged reckless driving, but the first clip is from an officer arriving at the scene. And from there, the situation escalates rapidly. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE: Get your ass out the fucking car. TYRE NICHOLS, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: Damn. I didn't do anything.

POLICE: Turn over your (inaudible).

POLICE: Turn your ass on the ground.

NICHOLS: All right. All right. All right. All right.

(CROSSTALK)

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

POLICE: Right now.

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE: Get on the ground. Right now.

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE: I'm going to tase you. Get on the ground.

(CROSSTALK)

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

POLICE: Lay down. Lay down. Lay down.

NICHOLS: I'm just trying to go home.

POLICE: Lay down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Nichols managed to run away, but was caught nearby a short time later. So, in this clip, Nichols cries out for his mother while he's beaten. Again, it is very disturbing to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE: Give me your hand. Give me your hand.

POLICE: Spray it again.

POLICE: Hey, Mike (inaudible).

(SCREAMING)

POLICE: Watch out. Watch out.

POLICE: Watch out.

NICHOLS: Mom. Mom. Mom.

POLICE: Hey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Police surveillance camera on a light pole captured the clearest images of the officers striking Nichols.

The video appears to show Nichols was hit, kicked, and punched at least nine times in less than four minutes. No one appeared to render aid afterwards. And an ambulance would not arrive for more than 20 minutes.

Earlier, an attorney representing Nichols family spoke to CNN about how the family is feeling now that the video has been made public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO ROMANUCCI, ATTORNEY FOR TYRE NICHOLS' FAMILY: We knew that this accountability and the transparency of this video was so important and that they are very grateful for of course they lost his son. You know, they lost, you know, somebody that they loved very much, but they are grateful that the video came out. So, now the whole world knows what happened, that he was defenseless, that he was helpless, that we did not exaggerate or overestimate anything that was in that video whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Two sheriff's deputies are now on leave and under investigation in the wake of Tyre Nichols death. The sheriff of Shelby County, which includes the City of Memphis, says he made the decision after watching video of the deputies at the scene. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Continued fallout here from this incident, from this horrific beating. After the video was made public, the sheriff here in Shelby County put out a statement saying that he learned that two of his deputies were on scene that night. And as a result of that, because of this video becoming public, he's placed those deputies on leave. So, it's two sheriff's deputies that are now on leave.

And, of course, you know, we're learning more tonight about this SCORPION Unit. The unit, the team that these officers are part of, the family calling for them to be disbanded. Well, the mayor and the Police Department here saying that unit, for right now, is not operating in this city. They have suspended their operations while they continue their investigation. But they're not outright going to say right at this point that they're going to disband this unit. They're blaming the problems on these officers and not on the unit.

And the other thing throughout all this, of course, in watching this video, are the EMT, the medics that were on scene and how long it took for them to offer Tyre Nichols any kind of help. For minutes and minutes, he lay there bleeding after being brutally beaten. [05:05:12]

The question is, of course, about those EMTs and the other officers who are on scene and the continued investigation where it appears there's just so much more to come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Joe Ested is a former police officer in Richmond, Virginia, and the author of the book, Police Brutality Matters, and he joins us from here in Atlanta. Thanks so much for being here with us, some of these difficult circumstances. Before the video was released, you were preparing for the worst. Was it as bad as it appeared?

JOE ESTED, FORMER RICHMOND, VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER: It was actually worse. This is sad. You know, before I became a police officer, I was a correction officer, and we used to watch film on uprisings in the prison where you have gang members will get a hold of another gang member and literally just beat them to death. And this was just sad, because you've seen law enforcement officers, guys who were supposed to come out on a job, serve a community, provide protection, and they look like gang members. This was sad. It was so sad. I had grown children that I didn't even want to watch the tape.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I totally understand that. I mean, it's so hard for all of us to watch. You know, too often you likened it to gang members beating people, but often its chases seem to end this way with these pumped-up officers looking to punish the guy who ran. So, walk us through why that is.

ESTED: Well, historically, being a police officer, especially with anti-crime unit, I was involved in anti-crime unit. I was a patrol officer. I went to Anti-Crime Unit, then went to another specialized unit. Anti-crime Unit is a very aggressive unit. And it should because it's we're targeting guns and drugs and for a long time in policing, I was told when I first got out, my first foot pursuit, apprehension, assisting officers started punching on the individual.

And I was so amazed. I was shocked. I was like, what? I didn't understand what was going on. So, I was like, what's going on? He's tough. They said, well, you got to teach him a lesson. They can't run from the police. And it was just amazing because we wasn't taught that in the academy. I was a new officer trying to understand, coming from a low-income community, coming from a community that experienced excessive aggressive policing. Now, we're being taught something different from the academy. You know, he was told that, you know, you got to tune them up, you know, so next time they won't run.

I just could not understand that. Historically, that tune up has been going on in the Police Department for a very long time.

BRUNHUBER: So, I mean, does that explain why, you know, you look at this and some of the officers who weren't necessarily doing the beating, I mean, they were watching, not doing anything to stop it, not doing anything to help him afterwards, I mean, this has nothing to do with training. How do you teach a sense of decency and humanity? ESTED: Yeah. That's not taught. Accountability has to happen. And I was watching the show earlier, and I heard someone say, it's not the unit, it's the guys in the unit. A 100% right. Not anybody, not every officer follows this code or this conduct. You know, I work with a lot of good officers, but you have officers out here who believe in tuning people up, and the department fails to hold them accountable.

You know, it's sad that it takes this to spread light on to tune ups. And I'm hoping, I'm really hoping for all of us that, you know, we start making a change when it comes down to how we hold officers accountable.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I'm wondering how we make that change. I mean, a lot of the problem seems to be this concept of qualified immunity, the legal shield that protects officers from being sued instances like this?

ESTED: Yeah, that's one of a few elements that me working coming from the community, not working inside. That's one of many adjustments that the law enforcement needs. They need to stop investigating themselves.

You know, I've worked alongside guys who went to Internal Affairs. Now, the guy who's in Internal Affairs, now is investigating. There's a relationship there. I work alongside when I'm working cases, with the local DA. That also needs to be changed. It shouldn't be an outside agency, a special task force that comes in and investigate police misconduct.

They have too many safeguards to protect officers. Officers -- you talk to officers day in and day out. Good officers don't mind accountability. They really don't. But when you have to work alongside officers who perform using excessive force and you see that the department still keeps them and these are the same guys that you might have to rely on to come in and save your life, there's a problem. It's a huge problem.

[05:10:08]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. We can only hope this does lead to change. But of course, we've heard this all before, so we'll have to stay on this. But really appreciate your expertise. Joe Ested, thanks so much for speaking with us.

ESTED: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: And our Don Lemon spoke to Tyre Nichols' father, who you can hear him screaming out for her in that harrowing video. And here's what she said about the injuries her son suffered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: 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, I saw that, I knew my son was gone. Even if he did live, he would have been a vegetable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: During a phone call with Tyre Nichols' family, President Joe Biden said he was outraged by the footage. He also called it a painful reminder of the fear and trauma people of color experience every day in America. Here's Biden speaking with reporters right after that call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: I was really pleased that she called for no -- peaceful protests, no -- no violence, no movement at all. And so, I -- you know, I spoke with her about, I don't know, 10, 15 minutes. And --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How concerned are you, sir, about the violence and the potential for that?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I am. I'm obviously very concerned about it. But I think she has made a very strong plea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Protesters filled the streets of Memphis shortly after the police video was released, when he marched on an interstate bridge, blocking all lanes of traffic and chanting slogans against police violence. CNN's Sara Sidner was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing an absolute standstill. If you look behind me, you see all these trucks down here. That is behind me. The I-55 Bridge, southbound and northbound. Northbound towards St. Louis. Southbound to Moore's Jackson, Mississippi. There is a huge section of I-55, the bridge included, that has just been stopped for quite some time.

I want to give you a sense of what it looks like and where I am. This is exit 12b. And apropos of what's happening, the National Civil Rights Museum is off of that exit as you know. This was the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated here in Memphis. But what you are seeing is what protesters here call resistance. They have been peaceful with their resistance. What we are seeing is people who have, on both sides of I-55 just stopped traffic. They have stopped traffic. They are holding signs justice for Tyre. They are holding signs that police who murder must be put in prison. They must face justice. And, you know, the crowd is here. There are emotions that are high, but they have been nothing less than peaceful. They have just stopped the traffic flow.

And part of that is because they want people to see that disruption is part of the way they're going to protest, because they are feeling pain and they want people to understand how serious they are about all of what they saw on that videotape. You're hearing them chants under that we have heard across the country from Michael Brown to George Floyd to Freddie Gray, whose streets, our streets. That is what they're chanting. Because they feel like these are their streets. They are taxpayers too, and there is no reason why these five officers should have been involved in taking the life of a resident here in Memphis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There's lots to unpack in the police videos released by the city. CNN Legal Analysts weighed in on what they noticed in the videos and the charges facing the former officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What I see here is no interpersonal communication at all. I see no immediacy of threat that was posed to the officers such that they would respond. I see no proportionality with respect to the force and the hitting and the punching and the kicking and using, you know, everything that they used. You have a duty to act, to intervene, and that did not happen. And that is problematic. It's troubling and it's criminal.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The lead charge here is a second-degree murder charge, which requires the prosecutors to show beyond a reasonable doubt as to each of those defendants individually, a knowing killing, meaning taking action reasonably foreseeable, under the impression they should have known that it was likely to result in death. There are other lesser charges here which could be the ultimate outcome, but I think all things considered. I think the prosecutors charged this case appropriately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:15:21]

BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead this hour. Jerusalem is rattled by a pair of shooting attacks just hours apart. Israeli authorities are responding to the violence.

Plus, buildings catch on fire as Russian artillery pummels towns in Eastern Ukraine. Will have a live report on what Ukraine describes as fighting around the clock. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: We're seeing live pictures here from Jerusalem. The response from Israeli officials after two people apparently were wounded in a shooting attack Saturday. It happened hours after at least seven people were killed and three were wounded near a synagogue and what Israeli police called one of the worst terror attacks in years. And all this comes after Israel launched strikes on Gaza in response to militant rocket fire, and after Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians during a raid in the West Bank City of Jenin.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine is in Jerusalem for us. So, Elliott. More violence today. Take us through what happened.

[05:20:08]

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, yeah, this is what the second shooting attack in the space of 14 hours in Jerusalem. This latest shooting in which two men, a father and son, the son aged 22, the father is late 40s, were shot by a -- apparently a 13-year-old boy, according to police. This happened in the city of David, which is near the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. From what we know, this happened at 10:42 a.m. about an hour and a half ago, local time. As I say, happened in the City of David. Police have flooded into the area, and the police commissioner has called for a special unit to boost security there.

And I can also tell you that we've seen video on social media which shows the alleged perpetrator who doesn't appear to be gravely injured. He was being put into an ambulance to be treated for his wounds. He was shot, and in the words of the police, neutralized or incapacitated by two passersby who held licensed firearms.

But of course, in the wake of that shooting last night, which killed seven and injured three, three of whom are still in hospital, this is a 60-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man, and a 15-year-old boy. This is really just escalating tensions obviously further here, which were already running a sky high given the confrontations that we've seen between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jenin and elsewhere of late. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: OK. And so, Elliott, back to Friday shooting then. The White House has responded. So, take us through what they said?

GOTKINE: Sure. So, we heard from the State Department expressing its outrage at this, what it described as a horrific attack. And when there was a telephone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the readout from that call says that the President made clear that this was an attack against the civilized world. The president stressed the iron-clad U.S. commitment to Israel security and agreed that his team would remain in constant touch with their Israeli counterparts.

And at the same time, the U.S. is urging or encouraging a de- escalation of the current situation. It doesn't seem much likelihood of that happening. Of course, all of this is going on just a couple of days before U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is due in town as part of a regional visit. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Elliott Gotkine. I appreciate it.

We're getting reports of a deadly Russian strike in eastern Ukraine. A short time ago, officials said three civilians were killed in a town about 27 km or 17 miles southwest of Bakhmut. Two others were wounded in that strike in a residential area with high rise buildings. It happened as Russia is reportedly making a new effort to break through Ukrainian defenses in the east. And as Poland is pledging 60 more tanks to Ukraine including the PT-91s developed at home. That's on top of other types of tanks that Poland and other Western allies have already promised.

Clare Sebastian is keeping an eye on those and other developments in Ukraine. She join us from London. So, Clare, let's start with the situation there in the east. So, what's the latest?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kim, as you say, we're hearing more and more reports over the last few days of civilian casualties. That latest report from this morning, the town of Kostyantynivka, which, as you say, is just 25 to 27 km west of Bakhmut. Three civilians killed, at least two wounded.

The local Ukrainian governor of that region saying that a Russian missile hit at least four residential buildings, a garage, civilian cars, that kind of thing. This appears to be part of a stepped-up Russian effort in the east to take areas of, in particular, the Donetsk region that it does not yet occupy. President Zelenskyy describing the situation on the ground in the east as acute. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): This situation on the front line and pointedly in the Donetsk region near Bakhmut and Vuhledar continues to remain extremely acute. The occupiers are not destroying our positions. They are deliberately and methodically destroying these towns and villages around them with artillery, airstrikes, missiles. The Russian army has no shortage of lethal means and can only be stopped by force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Came along with that intense aerial assault that we saw in Ukraine on Thursday. This could be interpreted as a Russian response to those promises by its western allies, by Ukraine's western allies of those tanks. It also reinforces, though, that the Donbas Region, Luhansk and Donetsk, remains Russia's key strategic goal, the goal of taking over those entire regions.

And we're seeing a strategy of while they continue to bombard Bakhmut, a bigger town, they are trying to move in and take smaller towns as well. We're seeing efforts to try to encircle Bakhmut. And then, further south, we're seeing around the town of Vuhledar, which is just west of the regional capital. Donetsk continued shelling in that region as well. Kim.

[05:25:11]

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate the update. Clare Sebastian, thank you so much.

British airline Flybe has canceled all flights and stopped trading on the stock market. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority announced the move Saturday and warned travelers with Flybe tickets not to go to airports. A statement from the company said it's been placed into administration and flights won't be rescheduled. Flybe flew to Amsterdam, Geneva and cities across the U.K. Now, we're going to take a short break for viewers here in North America. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. For our international viewers, Quest's World of Wonder is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:30]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

I want to get back to our top story. Police videos have now been made public of Memphis officers fatally beating Tyre Nichols following a traffic stop on January 7. Nichols died of his injuries three days later, and the fired officers now face second degree murder charges. The videos of that incident are graphic and difficult to watch. We don't see Nichols being pulled over allegedly for reckless driving. But the first clip is from an officer arriving at the scene.

Nichols has yanked from the car and forced the pavement. It's not known why officers seem so agitated at this point. The situation escalates rapidly. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE: Give me your hand. Give me your hand.

POLICE: Spray it again.

POLICE: Hey, Mike (inaudible).

(SCREAMING)

POLICE: Watch out. Watch out. Watch out.

NICHOLS: Mom. Mom. Mom.

POLICE: Hey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A short time later, at a nearby location close to his home, Nichols is on the ground. You heard him there calling out for his mother as he was beaten. After several minutes, Nichols is slumped over. No one seems to care. No one appears to render aid for more than 20 minutes before an ambulance finally arrived.

Protests broke out across the U.S. after authorities released that video. From coast to coast, people marched to condemn police violence and demand justice for Tyre Nichols. Most of the protests were peaceful, including this one in New York, but a few arrests were reported along with minor clashes with police.

Now, at this point, we don't know the specific cause of death of Tyre Nichols, but medical expert tells CNN he probably died of internal injuries caused by blunt force trauma. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us more about the possible injuries Nichols might have suffered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is just horrific to watch. Even as a trauma neurosurgeon myself, I've never seen anything quite like that. You don't often see patients who are brought into the hospital, but you don't see that just horrific beating that he took over those several minutes.

When you look at this thing, there's obviously so many different injuries that he could have sustained at the time. I think one of the areas that people probably paid a lot attention to was just all these blows he took to his head and to his face. He was restrained at one point, taking fists to the face, and he was being kicked in the face when he was on the ground.

What can happen sometimes is that the brain is the one organ in the body that when it's starting to swell, it really has no place to go because it's encased by the skull. Every other organ in the body can swell a little bit more easily. Brain swelling can start to take place and one can start to lapse in and out of consciousness, has seemed to be happening with Mr. Nichols.

I watched the videos alongside medical examiners from around the country, and that was the area they really pointed to was these blows to the head. It's also worth noting that he's a pretty skinny guy from we understand, and there were kicks to the body, to the torso, to the chest as well, and any of those organs may have actually sustained damage and started bleeding as well, could have been suffering from internal bleeding at the time that all this was happening.

And that brings us to the next point, which I think is critically important. When you look at the timeline of what was happening there, it was around 8:33 or so 8:34 when you see this last kick that he sustains, and then he is handcuffed and dragged over to the car, and then it's eight minutes later before we see EMS even arrive. But it's not until around 9:02. So, 20 minutes after that, 21 minutes after that, almost half an hour in total before you see a gurney arrive.

So, you have a critically ill man who's lying on the sidewalk, sustained all these injuries. Hard to say the extent of the injuries or even how serious they are at that point. Obviously they are serious, but what exactly is the most serious is difficult to ascertain. And it's a full half an hour before he's really assessed.

You hear at various times that it's going to take a while for the ambulance to get there. And that's obviously very problematic. He needed to be in a hospital. Whether or not it would have made a difference ultimately that's hard to say. And we'll get more information, you know, probably over the coming few days as to exactly what caused his death.

[05:35:06] We don't have a firm cause of death yet from the county medical

examiner, but watching that video, looking at that timeline, you can get -- you really get a sense of what happened to him and what happened to him in the days that followed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, with us now to discuss this from New York is Darrin Porcher, a former Lieutenant with the NYPD. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, just want to start with your reaction now that you've seen the video.

DARRIN PORCHER, FORMER NYPD LIEUTENANT: Well, the video is problematic on a multitude of different levels. One of the things that we look to is leadership in a point of crisis in policing. There never appeared to be a front-line supervisor that took control over the situation and gave specific instructions to the officers on the scene.

Secondly, no officers intervene when you clearly recognize that excessive force was apparent. Someone should have stepped in and said, stop, or physically remove the officers. So, the component of a failure to supervise and a failure to intervene was a problematic component in this combustible situation relating to the deceased in this particular matter.

I think that oftentimes in policing, heads can run high, and that's understandable, but at the same token, you need to slow down and move forward with the necessary provisions as it relates to the policies in connection with how you introduce a use of force against an individual in a car stop.

And when we look at this video, it's clear that the subject in this case is not posing a propensity to aggressively assault the officers. He's merely saying at many points, look, OK, OK, stop. But he's not assaulting the officers. So, it goes back to the criminal trial, and that's where you see this manifest in the retribution against the officers moving forward.

BRUNHUBER: But the question so many people have asked me and are just asking is, with so much spotlight on police behavior in recent years, I mean, how does this type of thing happen? Wouldn't the officers know they wouldn't be able to get away without at least a serious inquiry into their actions?

PORCHER: The average person is photographed the videotaped 100 to 200 times a day. In Tennessee, it's no different. Here, we had a pole camera that captured what occurred on the ground level. In addition to that, we had officers that wore body cameras. So, you would think that it would be blatantly obvious that what you do will be captured.

However, officers in this case, I believe, were impervious to the fact that there was oversight, and it was just them doing what they felt was appropriate at that time, which was highly excessive. And it begs the question of who was setting the tone in that police department.

When you have a supervisor or a police manager that sets forth a specific tone, then people will follow through to that. However, when you have a laser fair attitude by management, that's when officers will believe as if they can act autonomously. And what we see in this video is a result of a failure to supervise.

BRUNHUBER: How much of that do you think results from the fact that they -- some of these officers were in these specialized proactive police units? Saturation police units, there is -- in this case, was the SCORPION Unit. The family -- the Nichols family in this case is calling for the federal government to step in and make changes. They're calling for them to be abolished. The police say the problem isn't the unit, it's those specific officers. What do you make of this?

PORCHER: I think it bifurcate to two points. The first component, when we look at the forward facing, driven, arrest related units such as the SCORPION Unit, you have these high intensity units in all police departments. I think they're a necessary entity in policing, because if you look at the quantitative statistics, this unit in particular was able to gain precipitous drops in crime.

But at the same token, it needs to be done in a quintessential manner. I think the oversight is what was lacking. And just because you are effectively gaining results, that doesn't mean that you, as an officer or as a unit, have a right to violate other civil rights.

So, I think it's necessary for you to have these enforcement driven units, but at the same token, you need to have the oversight to ensure that things are done the right way. So, removing the unit, I mean, that may be something that may call a question, but at the same token, you're still going to have an enforcement-based unit to protect that community. And the problem is, there was a lack of oversight.

[05:40:09]

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, we'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate your insights. Darrin Porcher, thanks so much.

PORCHER: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Still more to come here on CNN, including disturbing newly released recordings of the attack on the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is taking responsibility for classified documents being found at his home. They were discovered when Pence decided to review his own personal records after it was revealed that President Biden also had unsecured documents. Pence spoke about it Friday in Miami. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, (R) FORMER UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: Let me be clear, those classified documents should not have been in my personal residence. Mistakes were made and I take full responsibility. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: This is now the third high profile discovery of classified material after hundreds of documents were found at former President Donald Trump's home in Florida last summer.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has no plans to watch footage of the attack on her husband. The comments came after California authorities released recordings made during the assault on Paul Pelosi. The video and audio reveal a brutal attack. And we have to warn you, some of those images are disturbing. Veronica Miracle has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLICE: Drop the hammer.

DAVID DEPAPE, ACCUSED OF ATTACKING PAUL PELOSI: Nope.

PELOSI: Hey. Hey, hey, hey.

POLICE: What is going on right now? (Inaudible).

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Body camera video shows police struggling with Paul Pelosi's assailant after witnessing the assault.

POLICE: Give me your hand. Give me your hand.

MIRACLE: Police responding to the Pelosi home around 02:30 a.m. on October 28 after Paul Pelosi called 911 report morning an attacker had broken into their San Francisco home.

[05:45:03]

PAUL PELOSI: The gentleman here is just waiting for my wife to come back. Nancy Pelosi. Uh, he is just, uh, waiting for her to come but she's not going to be back for days so I guess we'll have to wait.

MIRACLE: The 82-year-old husband of then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to try to signal the 911 dispatcher that he needs help without upsetting the intruder.

PELOSI: Is the Capitol Police around?

DISPATCHER: No, this is San Francis -- They usually here, they usually here at the house protecting my wife. He is telling me to put the phone down and just do what he says.

MIRACLE: Then, before he hangs up the phone, the intruder interrupts.

DAVID DEPAPE: I'm a friend of theirs.

MIRACLE: The intruder, David DePape, has been charged with assault and attempted homicide, among other charges, and has pleaded not guilty on all counts. After his arrest, DePape told police he was out to get then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and "other targets and repeated baseless conspiracy theories about Pelosi and Democrats spying on the Trump campaign."

DEPAPE: It's just like an endless (bleep) crime spree. The whole four year until they were finally able to steal the election.

MIRACLE: He said, he woke Paul Pelosi and was looking for his wife.

DEPAPE: I was basically going to hold her hostage and I was going to talk to her and basically tell her what I would do. If she told the truth I would let her go scot-free. If she (bleep) lied I was going to break her kneecaps.

MIRACLE: DePape had previously posted conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol on his Facebook account. He told police.

DEPAPE: When I left my house, I left to go fight tyranny. I did not leave to go surrender.

MIRACLE: Nancy Pelosi spoke with CNN's Chris Wallace about the attack one week ago.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: How's your husband, Paul, doing?

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) CALIFORNIA FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: He's doing OK. It's going to take a little while for him to be back to normal. I feel very sad about it because the person was searching for me and my dear husband, who's not even that political, actually paid the price.

MIRACLE: Paul Pelosi underwent surgery after the attack for a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, and he has been seen wearing a hat at events with his wife in recent months. She said she would not watch the video showing the attack.

N. PELOSI: I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husband's life.

MIRACLE: The audio and video was made public because a group of news organizations, including CNN, pushed for its release, citing transparency reasons. DePape's lawyers did not want that to happen. In fact, they argued against it, saying it would irreparably damage his right to a fair trial. The court sided with the news organizations, allowing for its release. Veronica Miracle, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A January 6 rioter who assaulted a U.S. Capitol Police officer with pepper spray has been sentenced to more than six and a half years in prison. Julian Khater pleaded guilty in September to two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon. He has to spend 80 months behind bars, pay a $10,000 fine and pay another $2,000 in restitution.

Officer Brian Sicknick died the day after the attack at the Capitol after suffering several strokes. Medical authorities determined he died of natural causes, but said everything that happened during the riot played a role. All right, when we come back, remembering Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Minnesota Timberwolves hold a moment of silence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:52:26]

BRUNHUBER: Returning now to our top story, videos released showing the police beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. It sparked protests across America Friday night. Many cities were on edge and prepared for violence, but the protests were mainly peaceful despite her agonizing heartbreak, Nichols mother told CNN her son's death won't be in vain. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWVAUGHN WELLS: I'll never have my baby again, but I do know that he was a good person and that all this -- all the good in Tyre will come out. And so that's what keeps me going because I just feel like my son was sent here on assignment from God. And his assignment was over, it's over and he was sent back home, and God is not going to let any of his children's names go in vain. So, when this is all over, it's going to be some good and some positive, because my son was a good and positive person and that's what keeps me going.

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 brought shame to the black community. I feel sorry for them. I really do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Nichols death is being felt in the sports world as well. Memphis Grizzlies NBA team held a moment of silence before their Friday night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Grizzlies' head coach Taylor Jenkins says the death is heartbreaking. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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, you know, to the family. They're going through a lot.

[05:55:16]

I watched the interview with the family today, and hearing Mrs. Wells talk with so much strength and positivity and love was powerful. It invoked a lot of emotions. I cried.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: The NBA tweeted out a statement saying, in part, the images of Tyre Nichols life needlessly cut short are horrifying. The NBA family remains committed to partnering with advocates, policymakers, and law enforcement to work towards solutions to the issues we continue to face. The NBA ended by saying, its thoughts are with the family and friends of Nichols, the entire Memphis community, and those who are affected by these tragic images and loss.

Before we go, a Go Fund Me campaign has been set up to remember Tyre Nichols, who loved to skateboard. His mother created it to help build a memorial skate park in Tyre's honor. It'll also help her and her husband get mental health care to cope with Tyre's death. About an hour after the videos were released, the Go Fund Me was at about $82,000. And then, at last check, just moments ago, almost $350,000 has been donated.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks for watching. "CNN THIS MORNING" is next.