Friends, family of Tyre Nichols hold vigil at North Sacramento skate park

A candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols, a former Sacramento resident who was beaten to death by Memphis police earlier this month, was held at a local skate park on Monday evening. 

Dozens of friends and family turned out for the vigil for Nichols at Regency Community Skate Park in North Natomas. He was an avid skateboarder and amateur photographer, and was also remembered as someone who could make anyone laugh. 

Tyre Nichols loved skateboarding. That's how his friends say they'll remember him

“Tyre always had a smile on his face, he was always happy, he was that happy go lucky kid,” said Moe Roeser, a friend of Nichols’ from high school. “He always made everybody smile, his smile would light up the room, big shiny white teeth just smiling. You’d wonder why he was smiling but it didn’t matter because it’d make you smile.” 

Community members gather in Regency Community Skate Park in Sacramento, Calif., at a vigil honoring Tyre Nichols on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Nichols, 29, had lived in Sacramento until 2020, when he moved to Tennessee with his family. The manner of his death has shone a spotlight on policing practices in the United States, and once again ignited a national debate over police brutality. 

Multiple officers involved in the beating have been fired and charged with second degree murder. In addition, three employees of the Memphis Fire Department, who also responded to the scene, have been fired. 

Youth activist Berry Accius said he hopes Nichols will be remembered, not for the way he was killed, but for the life he lived. 

“The person that we saw being brutally murdered by police was not who he was,” Accius said. “Who he was was a bright, free spirited young man, that loved living, that was a generally good man, that didn’t deserve a merciless gang bang killing by law enforcement.”

Accius said he and others will continue to call for stronger police reforms nationwide.

Community members gather in Regency Community Skate Park in Sacramento, Calif., at a vigil honoring Tyre Nichols on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Johnny Honeycut, Tyre’s uncle, also attended the vigil.  

“He loved everyone and he touched everyone he came in contact with, I’m his uncle, and he taught me some things. I’m truly hurt by what happened to my nephew,” Honeycut said. 

Sacramento City Council member Lisa Kaplan, who represents the district where Nichols grew up, said Regency Community Skate Park was his home turf. 

“This is Tyre’s park, he would come out and skate here with friends, he lived in the community. If you were here at sunset, you would see why he loved this place, it offers incredible sunsets, incredible photography and skating, all the things he loved,” Kaplan said.