It's important to stress that we've not yet had any comment from the five former police officers who've been charged over the death of Tyre Nichols.
A lawyer for one of the accused, Emmitt Martin III, earlier said they were still "waiting to get the indictment" and would "go from there".
He and the lawyer of another of the men, Desmond Mills Jr, said they planned to discuss the charges at a news conference later today.
Nichols' death highlights need for change - Ben Crump
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ben Crump (R) is among the best-known US civil rights attorneysImage caption: Ben Crump (R) is among the best-known US civil rights attorneys
In a statement, prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci have said that Tyre Nichols' death highlights a need for police reform.
“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop,” the statement said.
The statement added that the incident “meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death”.
“Tyre’s loved ones’ lives were forever changed when he was beaten to death, and we will keep saying his name until justice is served,” the statement said.
Crump is among the most well-known civil rights attorneys in the US and previously represented the families of victims of police brutality including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright.
We're due to hear from the defence attorneys in just over an hour.
Two altercations led to Tyre Nichols' injuries
There were two altercations between Tyre Nichols and the officers, the second of which led to his serious injuries and ultimately to his death, District Attorney Mulroy has explained.
At the news conference, Mulroy said that after an "initial altercation, pepper spray was deployed".
A second altercation followed at a nearby location, during which Nichols' injuries were sustained.
"After some period of time, he was taken away by an ambulance," Mulroy said.
When asked if the ambulance call was "delayed", Mulroy declined to provide further details.
Footage is absolutely appalling - official
David B. Rausch is up now, he's head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
He extends his sympathies and prayers to Tyre Nichols' family before saying he's "sickened" by what happened to him.
"Simply put, this shouldn't have happened," he tells the media briefing.
He adds that he's seen the video footage of Nichols' arrest and promises that the public will too.
"In a word, it's absolutely appalling," he says.
As we've reported the bodycam video of the arrest will be released after 18:00 local time on Friday (00:00 GMT on Saturday).
Five officers facing multiple criminal charges
The five officers are facing multiple criminal charges, which District Attorney Mulroy is going over now.
All five officers are facing the same set of charges, Mulroy said.
The charges are:
Second degree murder and aggravated assault
Two charges of aggravated kidnapping
Two charges of official misconduct
One charge of official oppression
The news conference confirms previous reporting about the charges.
BreakingVideo to be released Friday
Officials have announced they will release video of the incident between Tyre Nichols and police sometime after 18:00 local time on Friday (00:00 GMT on Saturday).
Five officers are in custody
MPDCopyright: MPD
Earlier today, the grand jury returned indictments against five former Memphis Police officers, the DA says.
He goes on to confirm their names: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith.
They're all in custody, he says.
Nichols was an 'almost perfect son'
At the start of his remarks, District Attorney Steve Mulroy said that the Nichols family described a good son who didn't deserve to die the way he did.
He was an "an almost perfect son" who enjoyed skateboarding, Mulroy said.
Earlier, communications chief Erica Williams said there was significant "anticipation" about the charges against the officers involved in his death.
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Here’s what we know. Tyre Nichols, 29, was
stopped in Memphis on 7 January for reckless driving. He died three days later.
Nichols was stopped by police on his way to a local park, according
to his mother. City officials say police officers pulled him over for reckless
driving and two "confrontations" occurred.
Authorities claim the first happened as officers approached the
vehicle and he attempted to flee on foot. They say the second confrontation occurred
when officers tried to arrest him.
Nichols later complained of shortness of breath and was taken to
hospital, police have said, where he was listed in a critical condition.
Officials said Nichols later "succumbed to his injuries" on 10
January, but provided no further detail. An official cause of death has not yet
been disclosed.
On Wednesday, the family's lawyers said an autopsy indicated he had been
severely beaten.
News conference starting soon
The District Attorney's news conference is set to begin in a few minutes.
Stay with us for more updates.
What are the charges?
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and
Justin Smith – the five former officers facing murder charges – are all in
custody, according to jail records.
All have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault,
aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Mills Jr’s lawyer said he would hold a news conference later on
Thursday.
Meanwhile the family of Tyre Nichols and their lawyers privately
reviewed the footage of the arrest,
earlier this week. "He was a human piñata. It was an unadulterated,
unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes," lawyer
Antonio Romanucci said of its contents.
The family's lawyers said yesterday that the autopsy indicated Nichols had been
severely beaten.
Welcome
Hello and
thanks for joining us as more details surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols are
set to be revealed.
The 29-year-old was stopped in Memphis, Tennessee, on 7 January
for reckless driving. He died three days later. Five
former police officers, all of whom were fired last week, have
been charged with second-degree murder.
We’re due
to hear from the Shelby County District Attorney and a lawyer for one of the defendants
in separate press conferences. We’re also hearing that graphic video footage of the
arrest could be published sometime today.
Live Reporting
Edited by Marianna Brady
All times stated are UK
No response yet from the accused
It's important to stress that we've not yet had any comment from the five former police officers who've been charged over the death of Tyre Nichols.
A lawyer for one of the accused, Emmitt Martin III, earlier said they were still "waiting to get the indictment" and would "go from there".
He and the lawyer of another of the men, Desmond Mills Jr, said they planned to discuss the charges at a news conference later today.
Nichols' death highlights need for change - Ben Crump
In a statement, prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci have said that Tyre Nichols' death highlights a need for police reform.
“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop,” the statement said.
The statement added that the incident “meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death”.
“Tyre’s loved ones’ lives were forever changed when he was beaten to death, and we will keep saying his name until justice is served,” the statement said.
Crump is among the most well-known civil rights attorneys in the US and previously represented the families of victims of police brutality including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright.
Read more about Crump here..
Press conference ends
The press conference has just ended.
We're due to hear from the defence attorneys in just over an hour.
Two altercations led to Tyre Nichols' injuries
There were two altercations between Tyre Nichols and the officers, the second of which led to his serious injuries and ultimately to his death, District Attorney Mulroy has explained.
At the news conference, Mulroy said that after an "initial altercation, pepper spray was deployed".
A second altercation followed at a nearby location, during which Nichols' injuries were sustained.
"After some period of time, he was taken away by an ambulance," Mulroy said.
When asked if the ambulance call was "delayed", Mulroy declined to provide further details.
Footage is absolutely appalling - official
David B. Rausch is up now, he's head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
He extends his sympathies and prayers to Tyre Nichols' family before saying he's "sickened" by what happened to him.
"Simply put, this shouldn't have happened," he tells the media briefing.
He adds that he's seen the video footage of Nichols' arrest and promises that the public will too.
"In a word, it's absolutely appalling," he says.
As we've reported the bodycam video of the arrest will be released after 18:00 local time on Friday (00:00 GMT on Saturday).
Five officers facing multiple criminal charges
The five officers are facing multiple criminal charges, which District Attorney Mulroy is going over now.
All five officers are facing the same set of charges, Mulroy said.
The charges are:
The news conference confirms previous reporting about the charges.
BreakingVideo to be released Friday
Officials have announced they will release video of the incident between Tyre Nichols and police sometime after 18:00 local time on Friday (00:00 GMT on Saturday).
Five officers are in custody
Earlier today, the grand jury returned indictments against five former Memphis Police officers, the DA says.
He goes on to confirm their names: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith.
They're all in custody, he says.
Nichols was an 'almost perfect son'
At the start of his remarks, District Attorney Steve Mulroy said that the Nichols family described a good son who didn't deserve to die the way he did.
He was an "an almost perfect son" who enjoyed skateboarding, Mulroy said.
Earlier, communications chief Erica Williams said there was significant "anticipation" about the charges against the officers involved in his death.
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Here’s what we know. Tyre Nichols, 29, was stopped in Memphis on 7 January for reckless driving. He died three days later.
Nichols was stopped by police on his way to a local park, according to his mother. City officials say police officers pulled him over for reckless driving and two "confrontations" occurred.
Authorities claim the first happened as officers approached the vehicle and he attempted to flee on foot. They say the second confrontation occurred when officers tried to arrest him.
Nichols later complained of shortness of breath and was taken to hospital, police have said, where he was listed in a critical condition. Officials said Nichols later "succumbed to his injuries" on 10 January, but provided no further detail. An official cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
On Wednesday, the family's lawyers said an autopsy indicated he had been severely beaten.
News conference starting soon
The District Attorney's news conference is set to begin in a few minutes.
Stay with us for more updates.
What are the charges?
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith – the five former officers facing murder charges – are all in custody, according to jail records.
All have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Mills Jr’s lawyer said he would hold a news conference later on Thursday.
Meanwhile the family of Tyre Nichols and their lawyers privately reviewed the footage of the arrest, earlier this week. "He was a human piñata. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes," lawyer Antonio Romanucci said of its contents.
The family's lawyers said yesterday that the autopsy indicated Nichols had been severely beaten.
Welcome
Hello and thanks for joining us as more details surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols are set to be revealed.
The 29-year-old was stopped in Memphis, Tennessee, on 7 January for reckless driving. He died three days later. Five former police officers, all of whom were fired last week, have been charged with second-degree murder.
We’re due to hear from the Shelby County District Attorney and a lawyer for one of the defendants in separate press conferences. We’re also hearing that graphic video footage of the arrest could be published sometime today.
Stay tuned for live updates and reaction.