Tyre Nichols: Memphis police under scrutiny in fatal traffic stop

Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis has pledged transparency

Police in Memphis, Tennessee, are under pressure to explain how a traffic stop resulted in deadly "confrontations" with a 29-year-old motorist.

Tyre Nichols, who is black, died of unspecified injuries after he was pulled over on 7 January, officials have said.

His family has retained prominent personal injury attorney Ben Crump as it seeks footage of the incident.

Several protests have taken place in the city since Mr Nichols' death.

"We understand and agree that transparency around the events surrounding the death of Mr Tyre Nichols is critically important, especially the release of the video footage," Mayor Jim Strickland and police chief CJ Davis said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

They wrote that the state's inquiry would probably conclude by the end of the week, after which the Nichols family could privately review the video before its public release.

City officials say police officers pulled over Mr Nichols for reckless driving and that two "confrontations" occurred during the stop.

Authorities say the first happened as officers approached the vehicle being driven by Mr Nichols, and he attempted to flee the scene on foot. They said the other confrontation happened when officers tried to arrest him.

Mr Nichols complained of shortness of breath and was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he was listed in a critical condition, say authorities.

Officials said without providing more detail that Mr Nichols had "succumbed to his injuries" on 10 January. An official cause of death has not yet been revealed.

The city police chief said on Sunday that the officers involved would face disciplinary action for unspecified policy violations.

Relatives have accused the officers of beating Mr Nichols and causing him to experience a heart attack. They want them fired and charged with murder.

Demonstrations have taken place at the site of the traffic stop and outside the police precinct and the National Civil Rights Museum.

Family, friends and activists gathered at a memorial service on Tuesday, at which Mr Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells told well-wishers: "We've got to stay strong, put up a hell of a fight and we are not going down without a fight."

Mr Crump, the family lawyer, said in a statement on Monday: "Nobody should ever die from a simple traffic stop - the footage is the only way to discern the true narrative of why and how that happened to Tyre."

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