Lawmakers give standing ovation to Tyre Nichols’s parents at State of the Union

Members of Congress gave a standing ovation to the parents of Tyre Nichols during the State of the Union address in one of the most bipartisan and dramatic moments of the night.

RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, and her husband, Rodney Wells, Nichols’s stepfather, were present for the address a week after the funeral for the 29-year-old Nichols, who died after being brutally beaten by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop.

As President Biden spoke her son’s name, RowVaughn Wells applauded him and could be seen telling him, “Thank you.”

“Here’s what Tyre’s mom shared with me when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out,” Biden said Tuesday after introducing the couple. “With faith in God, she said her son ‘was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.’”

Biden made a point about how the parents of Black children must address the issue of how they are treated by police. Nichols was Black, as are the five police officers who face criminal charges for their beating of him.