美国国家公共电台 NPR--5 ex-Memphis officers are charged with the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols

5 ex-Memphis officers are charged with the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols

Transcript¹

Five Black former Memphis police officers have been charged with murder in the death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols. He was beaten during a traffic stop and died several days later in the hospital.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Today, authorities plan to release a video that will show what happened to 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. And the city, Memphis, is bracing² for what may come next. Already, five former police officers are under indictment³ on second-degree murder charges and other crimes in the beating death of Nichols. He died January 10, three days after what police called a, quote, "confrontation⁴" during a traffic stop. Those who've seen the video have used words like horrific. Last night, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil, again asking for change within the Memphis Police Department.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Justice for Tyre. Justice for Tyre. Justice for Tyre.

FADEL: NPR's Debbie Elliott was at the vigil, and she's on the line now. Hi, Debbie.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE⁵: Hi. Good morning.

FADEL: So what's it like in Memphis right now?

ELLIOTT: You know, tense, as you might imagine. Lots of questions about just what went wrong here. How did this FedEx worker and father of a 4-year-old end up dead because of a traffic stop? At last night's vigil which was held at a skate park - Tyre Nichols was an avid⁶ skateboarder - you know, speaker after speaker just seemed weary to be talking about the death of another Black man after an encounter with law enforcement. Now, we should mention that all of the ex-officers who were indicted⁷ in this case are also Black. At the vigil last night, Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, asked the community to remain peaceful in their outcry when they see what happened.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROWVAUGHN WELLS: I didn't see it, but from what I hear, it's going to be horrific. But I want each and every one of you to protest in peace. I don't want us burning up our cities, tearing up the streets...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Amen.

WELLS: ...Because that's not what my son stood for.

FADEL: What do we know about exactly what's in that video?

ELLIOTT: Well, it will cover the span of about three minutes using both bodycam, dashcam and some surveillance video. And, you know, the people who have seen it describe it as particularly brutal⁸ - acts that defy humanity, according to the Memphis police chief, Cerelyn C.J. Davis. She was on CNN today and said that the officers were overly aggressive from the get-go when they stopped Tyre Nichols. They used loud communications, and things only escalated⁹ from there.

CERELYN C J DAVIS: Mr. Nichols was able to get away from these officers, and they found him again at another location. And at that point, there was an amount of aggression¹⁰ that is unexplainable.

ELLIOTT: Something she attributed to groupthink among the officers. Now, because of the nature of the videos, police plan to release them this evening after businesses and schools are closed. After-school activities like ballgames and things have been canceled. Both here in Memphis and in some other cities, officials have been preparing for potential unrest because this might be so difficult to look at.

FADEL: Now, in the few seconds we have left, they've - residents are calling for reform in the police department.

ELLIOTT: Right. They want to completely overhaul¹¹ the way policing works here - no longer using police for traffic enforcement, for example, and eliminating special task forces that send teams of officers into neighborhoods. The fired officers charged in this case were part of a task force known as the SCORPION¹² squad¹³. Police Chief Davis says there will be a complete and independent review of the department's specialized¹⁴ units.

FADEL: NPR's Debbie Elliott, thank you so much.

ELLIOTT: You're welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

3 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

4 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 avid   

adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的

参考例句：

• He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
• She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

7 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

10 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

11 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

12 scorpion   

n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭

参考例句：

• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

13 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

14 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。