What Tyre Nichols' death at the hands of Black officers says about race in policing

The cycle of police violence and protest in America has so often been told as a story of white officers shooting Black men that three words — "Black lives matter" — stand as global shorthand.

But the death of Tyre Nichols has challenged the narrative.

The 29-year-old FedEx worker — who died after being pulled over by Memphis, Tennessee, police and Tasered, pepper-sprayed and severely beaten — was a Black man. So are the five police officers charged with murdering him.

The Memphis police chief, who has condemned and fired the officers, is a Black woman. And more than half the police force in Memphis, a majority Black city, is Black.

Making law enforcement more racially diverse has long been touted as a way to improve community relations and reduce police violence against racial minorities. Experts who study race, policing and use of force say diversifying can sometimes make a difference, but as as the events in Memphis suggest, that may not always be the case. The research is limited and suggests that the race of officers may matter less