Nashville mom who lost her son after 2017 traffic stop heads to funeral of Tyre Nichols

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) -Many are preparing to head to Memphis Wednesday for the funeral of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. As groups from Nashville hit the road, a local mother is offering her support after losing her son years ago.

“I am like here we go again and to know this time it was black officers that killed a young man.. That’s even more heartbreaking,” said Sheila Clemmons Lee.

Heartbreak is something Sheila Clemmons Lee knows all too well. She’s had to live with the pain of losing her son Jocques Clemmons. He died back in 2017 after being shot by a Metro Police officer.

“This mother, this is all new to her and I am pretty sure she has questions why… and there is no answer for it,” stated Clemmons Lee.

She says, as a mother she understands her pain, and plans to head to Memphis to offer her support.

“She is not in this alone,” she explained.

Pastor and CEO of My Brother’s Keeper Nashville, Terry Wells will also be joining her, along with Mothers over Murder and the National Action Network.

“We are going down to get together, pray together, and create a strategy of how we can go down and be an asset and not a liability to this family,” said Wells.

Wells says it’s important to get involved in order to make a difference.

“We are going down to hug on them, love on them, and pray with them. But it’s not about the beginning, they are going to need us after everything is over,” Wells explained.

It’s a journey they are ready for as they prepare to hit the road early Wednesday.

“Even if she doesn’t know who I am, I want to be there to support her during this time,” said Clemmons Lee.

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