Tyre Nichols cried for mother during violent arrest

1. Footage of the violent arrest that led to the death of Tyre Nichols has been made public
2. It appears to show Memphis police officers shouting profanities and taking turns to kick and punch the 29-year-old after a traffic stop
3. His mother says no-one should go through what she is going through - and says the five former police officers charged over his death "disgraced their families"
4. Protesters in Memphis have been calling for an end to police violence and holding signs reading 'Justice for Tyre'
5. "It was the police culture in the US that killed Tyre Nichols," lawyer Ben Crump said earlier during a news conference
6. President Biden has called Mr Nichols' parents, expressing his condolences and mentioning the loss of his own son Beau
7. Five police officers - who have all now been fired - are facing murder charges. Lawyers for two of the accused say they will fight the charges

Key moments: What’s been happening overnight?

We're pausing our live coverage of developments in Memphis. If you’re just joining us, here are the key events from last night and this morning.

• Memphis police released four separate videos showing what happened when Tyre Nichols was stopped on 7 January. Taken from bodycams worn by several officers as well as a nearby CCTV camera, the videos show officers kicking and hitting him, as well as shouting expletives - and Mr Nichols, who cries out for his mother, is not seen to resist. He’s left bloodied and is taken away in an ambulance.
• Towards the end of the footage police officers make various claims, including that Mr Nichols was under the influence of drugs and that he reached for one of their guns. Neither allegation is supported by known evidence or the videos. Read more analysis of the footage here.
• A few hours before the videos were released, Mr Nichols’ family and supporters held a press conference, during which the family lawyer Ben Crump said Mr Nichols was killed by the police culture in the United States.
• Mr Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, also spoke at the press conference, saying that no mother should experience what she was going through. “My son loved me to death and I loved him to death,” she said.
• Peaceful protests have taken place in Memphis since the video was released, with some demonstrators blocking a major highway in the city. Those demonstrating have said they are determined to hold the police department accountable for the death of Mr Nichols. Protests were held in other cities in the US, too.

• President Biden has called Mr Nichols' parents, expressing his condolences and mentioning the loss of his own son Beau.
• Five police officers - who have all now been fired - are facing murder charges. Lawyers for two of the accused say they will fight the charges.

Coverage so far has come from Gareth Evans, Chelsea Bailey, Ben Bevington, Daniele Palumbo, Franz Strasser, James Harness, Bernd Debusmann, Robin Levinson-King, Max Matza, Roderick Macleod, Gianluca Avagnina, Kayla Epstein, Marianna Brady, Mike Wendling, Chloe Kim, Nathan Williams, Jamie Whitehead, Brandon Drenon, Malu Cursino, Chris Giles, Thomas Mackintosh, Marita Moloney, Jo Couzens, Jessica Murphy, Oliver Slow and James McFadden.

In pictures: Memphis protests call for an end to 'police terror'

Protesters took to the streets in Memphis and other cities in the US overnight, following the release of bodycam footage that showed the arrest of Tyre Nichols by five ex-police officers who are charged with murder. Mr Nichols died three days after the traffic stop.

Many protesters held banners aloft demanding justice for Mr Nichols and an end to "police terror".

Demonstrators also blocked both lanes of the I-55 bridge, a major highway in Memphis.

The protests around the country, which included demonstrations in New York City and Washington, DC, were largely peaceful - something the Nichols' family had called for, saying they didn't "want any type of disturbance".

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Nichols family wants 'the world to be their witness' says District Attorney

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy released a statement to coincide with the release of the videos.

In his statement, Mulroy acknowledges that "for some, the video may be hard to watch".

"The video was released because it was important to the community and to Tyre’s family, as they want the world to be their witness and feel their pain," the statement added.

Additionally, Mulroy said that he hopes the incident "can lead to a broader conversation on police reform."

"While we understand and recognize the right to protest, we stand with Tyre’s family who have called for peaceful demonstrations," the statement added. "While nothing we do can bring Tyre back, we promise you that we are doing all we can to ensure that Tyre’s family, and our city of Memphis, see justice for Tyre Nichols."

Additional charges could follow, says lawyer for Nichols family

One of the attorneys representing the Nichols family has said he expects more charges for officers involved in the incident.

In an interview with CNN, Antonio Romanucci said that additional charges were "absolutely discussed" with prosecutors and "have not been ruled out".

Romanucci said that some of the additional charges should - in his opinion - stem from the apparent delays in seeking medical attention for Nichols.

The video released earlier shows as many as 10 officers standing nearby as Nichols writhes in pain on the ground near an unmarked police vehicle.

"There is no doubt that failure to intervene, that failure to render medical aid, to assist a dying person, is unconscionable," he said. "There is no doubt that further charges should be brought, in my opinion."

Protesters close Memphis highway: 'They gon' stop killing people in our city'

Demonstrators blocked both lanes of the I-55 bridge, a major highway in Memphis, shortly after the video's release.

Shouting into a megaphone so they could be heard over the helicopter overhead, long-time Memphis protesters urged those on the highway to stay strong - even if police officers come to clear them.

"I've been protesting in this city for a long, long time. They on the way, but listen up, they gon' come with these scare tactics, but we are going to stand ground," one of the organisers said."They gon' stop killing people in our city. They gon' stop killing our brothers and sisters in this city. So when they come, we gon' stand firm, we still gon' chant Tyre Nichols' name ... We gon' hold the police department accountable."

Watch: Rodney King's daughter reacts to Tyre Nichols video

Among those to watch the videos of the Tyre Nichols incident tonight was Lora Dene King, the daughter of Rodney King.

In 1991, her father became one of the most well-known victims of police brutality after being brutally beaten by Los Angeles police officers after being pulled over.

The officers were later acquitted in 1992, sparking riots across Los Angeles that left more than 60 people dead.

On Friday, she expressed shock at seeing Nichols beaten despite "begging" for mercy from the police officers at the scene.

"He knew he was going to die," she said. "I don't know how to process that."

In an interview, King cries and pleads with fellow Americans to "do better".

"I'm tired. Aren't you tired? This is not cool," she said. "If you are affected by this, do something...let's make a difference. We can do this. We are America. We can be an example."

Rodney King's daughter in tears after watching video

Grief and anger as Memphis exhales

Chelsea Bailey

Reporting from Memphis

Memphis has been waiting to exhale. After a tense day of preparing for the footage of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols, the city now seems to be caught in a state of stunned disbelief.

While many expected large protests and an outward expression of anger and grief - rallies here have been muted. While feelings are clearly raw, the city's grief has turned inward and become more personal and private.

Still, ahead of the video's release, a small but determined group of about 80 protesters rallied in Memphis's Martyr Park before making their way down the I-55 highway.

We followed 21-year-old Kyrion and his mother as they raced to catch-up with the crowd. He told us that as a child he had dreamed of joining the Memphis Police Department, but now that dream was shattered.

"It's just wicked, the system is forever going to be wicked," he said.

One woman was so overcome with grief and anger that she planned to tear her Back the Blue sticker off of her car. Nearly everyone we spoke to struggled to make sense of not just the brutality of footage, but also the fact that the officers were black.

There are clearly no succinct or easy answers. Everyone here seemed to agree that the violence that led to Tyre Nichols death has become a feature of American policing rather than a bug. And it is going to take more than one night of protests to change that.

Here's what we've learned

Four separate videos have been released by Memphis police showing the chaotic traffic stop and arrest of Tyre Nichols on 7 January. They are taken from bodycams worn by multiple officers as well as a nearby CCTV camera.

Officers are seen kicking and hitting him - they shout expletives and repeatedly strike the 29-year-old even while he appears to be detained. He's left bloodied and is eventually taken away in an ambulance.

Police officers make various claims towards the end of the footage - they allege Mr Nichols was under the influence of drugs and claim he reached for one of their guns. Neither allegation is supported by known evidence or the released videos.

Mr Nichols died in hospital three days after the encounter. Police initially said he had been stopped on suspicion of reckless driving, but this has not been substantiated.

Protests are taking place in Memphis and other US cities including New York - they have remained mostly peaceful. Protesters marched across a bridge in Memphis, bringing traffic there to a standstill as they waved signs reading 'Justice for Tyre'.

Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in relation to the incident. Lawyers for two of the men have said they will plead not guilty - it is not clear how the others plan to plead. Two local sheriff's deputies who were involved have also been suspended in the past few moments.

BreakingTwo local deputies suspended

Two deputies working for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office have been placed on leave following the release of the footage.

In a statement, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr wrote that the video - which he saw for the first time tonight - gave him "concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene".

"I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these deputies to determine what occurred and if any policies were violated," he said. "Both of these deputies have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the administrative investigation.”

Separately, local media previously reported that two members of the Memphis Fire Department had been relieved of their duties.

The department's investigation into its role in the incident is expected to be finished next week, according to a statement posted online.

Worst part of footage is lack of humanity - police expert

Criminal justice professor says officers 'poorly trained from A to Z'

Greg Donaldson, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York has watched the released footage and calls it "appalling".

"It was incomprehensible, from beginning to end," he tells the BBC.

"From the car stop, the state of agitation of the police when they pulled the car over, to the pursuit, to the lack of training and lack of strategy in containing and subduing the person they had stopped."

He says the video seems to show that their anger grows "as their incompetence seems to be more revealed".

What stood out most to Prof Donaldson, an expert on policing in New York City, is the way the officers are heard gasping as they run after Tyre Nichols.

He says the video shows that these officers are "poorly trained from A to Z".

"This incident just ran out of control," he says. "The worst part of it was was the lack of humanity after the incident."

The officers, he says, "stood around like its as just an afternoon on the street," while leaving Mr Nichols "laying there on the ground like a piece of garbage".

A tragic, familiar, story in America

Sarah Smith

North America Editor

The tragic and unnecessary death of Tyre Nichols is a horribly familiar story in America.

He has now joined a growing list of well-known names like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and of course George Floyd.

All were unarmed black people killed by the police.

But they represent just a tiny percentage of those who die in America each year at the hands of law enforcement. More than 1,000 people were killed by the police last year alone.

That's an average of one death every 8 hours.

Civil rights activists blame a culture of systemic racism among police officers as well as a sense of impunity as the law often protects officers who use lethal force.

A bill named after George Floyd which aims to increase police accountability has stalled in Congress as it cannot get support from Republicans.

In Memphis, the five black officers involved in Tyre Nichols death have been swiftly charged with second-degree murder less than three weeks after he died.

His parents are asking for that to become the blueprint for how these incidents are handled in future - because no one believes that Tyre will be the last young black person to be killed by the police in America.

Protesters march on Memphis bridge

Chelsea Bailey

Reporting from Memphis

BBC

It’s been two hours since the videos were released and a small but seemingly immovable crowd of around 70 protesters have shut down the I-55 bridge here.

They’re encouraging those gathered to stay strong when police arrive.

About half a mile back we can see the flashing lights of police cars as they try to make their way through the traffic to the head of the protest. They're not having much luck as yet.

We spoke to the driver of a car who said he had been stuck in traffic for nearly two hours but did not mind.

“I’m in a city where the police will murder a black man without any remorse,” the man, who asked not to be named, said. “If I have to sit out here to bring awareness to something like that, it’s worth the wait.”

The unanswered questions from the videos

Daniele Palumbo

Investigative journalist, BBC News

The BBC has been analysing the videos released by the city of Memphis. There are still a few elements that remain unclear:

• The four videos do not show why the police officers decided to stop Tyre Nichols in the first place
• At different stages in the videos, officers seem to have secured the control of his hands. There is no sign of him fighting back - yet officers continue to use violence, inflicting baton strikes and punches to the head

• At one point, before the arrival of an ambulance, around 10 officers can be seen standing near Mr Nichols. But no one seems to assist him while he appears to be in visible distress

Warning - coverage contains disturbing content

BBC

A reminder that the contents of these released videos is distressing.

The BBC is reporting their contents - which at times is violent and contains explicit language.

Fourth video shows Tyre Nichols is bloodied

Memphis PD

The bodycam footage briefly cuts out at one point in the fourth video

The fourth and final video is from the bodycam of another unnamed officer. It shows the same incident as the third video.

The footage begins with a brief chase that ends with the officers tackling Tyre Nichols.

It appears that the bodycam becomes detached from the officer, as for the first few minutes nothing can be seen and we can only hear what sounds like a scuffle and conversation.

We again hear Mr Nichols calling out for his mother, and officers using expletives while ordering him to give them his hands.

At one point, the officers can be heard telling one another that they thought Mr Nichols was "on something" - seeming to indicate that they believed he had been using drugs. There is no known evidence that this was the case.

Once the officer's bodycam is back on, we get a clearer view of Mr Nichols as he's slumped against the unmarked police car.

He appears to be injured and blood is visible around his mouth. He does not speak. One officer pulls him up after he slumps to the side. He is variously seen sitting up, leaning on the car or slumped on the ground.

A significant portion of the video shows officers speaking to one another and recounting details of the incident. Some of the officers claim that Mr Nichols "swung" at them or reached for their guns. Neither allegation is supported by the released video.

Another officer later claims Mr Nichols swerved and almost struck his police vehicle. Officers can also be heard discussing the fact that nothing was found in in his car.

Tyre Nichols called for mother as officers hit him

Memphis PD

The next video released by the city of Memphis is bodycam footage - it is a different angle of what we saw in the second clip taken from the CCTV camera.

It shows the moment officers locate Tyre Nichols after he fled, and is graphic.

Two officers can be seen wrestling with him while he's on the ground. The officer wearing the bodycam threatens to spray him.

Mr Nichols appears to be in distress and repeatedly calls out for his mother.

Soon after, police call for him to give them his hands. The officer wearing the bodycam walks away and appears to have been hit with pepper spray.

He then returns and pulls out his expandable baton - which we also saw clearly in the second video from the pole camera. Using an expletive, he shouts at Mr Nichols and makes clear he plans to strike him with the baton.

He strikes him several times, and another officer can be seen punching Mr Nichols in the face while his hands are restrained.

The officer wearing the bodycam calls in their location, and officers can be seen struggling with Mr Nichols as more officers arrive.

Early signs of protest as we review footage

Reuters

We're continuing to review the footage.

On the ground in Memphis, there are early signs of protests. Some have gathered with signs calling for an end to police violence. Others carry placards reading 'Justice for Tyre Nichols'.

Cities around the US have also been on alert for potential protests. Here in Washington DC, a small crowd of a few dozen people have already gathered in a park near the White House.

Reuters

Reuters

Some shops in downtown Memphis have boarded up their windows in anticipation of unrest

Officers strike and kick Tyre Nichols in second video

Memphis PD

The second of the four videos is footage from a pole CCTV camera and contains no audio.

Shortly after it begins, the camera pivots and shows several officers surrounding Tyre Nichols as he's on the ground.

As two officers work to restrain him, a third can be seen walking up to him and kicking him in the head.

Moments later, a fourth officer - it is unclear which - pulls out an expandable baton and appears to strike Mr Nichols several times. Others appear to punch him.

At the five minute mark, Mr Nichols is seen on the ground and can be seen writhing. By this point, officers are no longer striking him.

He is then taken to an unmarked police vehicles, where he is leaned against the door.

First video shows chaotic initial traffic stop

New footage shows violent arrest of Tyre Nichols in Memphis

The first of the four videos that have been released is police bodycam footage, which shows the initial traffic stop involving Tyre Nichols.

The officers can be heard shouting commands - as well as expletives and threats - at Mr Nichols and ordering him out of the car.

"I didn't even do anything," he can be heard saying.

The officers then take him to the ground as the 29-year-old protests his innocence. An officer can be heard threatening to break his arms as they instruct him to get on his stomach.

The officers repeatedly shout at Mr Nichols and demand he lies flat. He then breaks free of the officers and flees on foot.

The officers deploy pepper spray and at least one taser in an unsuccessful attempt to stop him.

He is not seen again in this first portion of the footage released. The rest of the video shows officers using water to spray their eyes after being hit inadvertently with pepper spray.

The officer wearing the body cam - who is white and doesn't appear to be one of the five facing charges - can be heard saying that he hopes his fellow officers "stomp" Mr Nichols when they find him.

Warning - coverage includes distressing content

BBC

A reminder that this newly-released footage contains distressing content.

The BBC is reviewing it and will not publish the video in full.

Our reporters are watching the videos and will describe what they show - and what we can hear - shortly.

We will also bring you the latest reaction from Memphis and around the US throughout the evening.