Tyre Nichols' family sues Memphis Police Department

The family of Mr Nichols, including his mother RowVaughn Wells, are seeking financial damages for his death

The family of Tyre Nichols has filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department, and several officers involved in the death of the 29-year-old black motorist.

Mr Nichols died three days after he was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop in January.

His death sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.

Attorneys for Mr Nichols' family allege the city's negligent hiring practices and poor training led to his death.

The 139-page complaint - filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on Wednesday morning - names Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn Davis, five officers who already face murder charges over Mr Nichols' death, and other police and fire department officials.

Comparing Mr Nichols' death to the 1955 murder of Emmitt Till, attorneys for the family allege the beating was a "foreseeable product of the unconstitutional policies, practices, customs" of the City of Memphis and its police chief, Ms Davis.

The family is asking for a jury to award monetary compensation due to medical, funeral, and other expenses they have incurred as a result of Mr Nichols' death.

They are represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

The lawsuit also blames the city for developing the Scorpion unit, a 50-person team of officers tasked with bringing down crime in the city.

The five black officers charged with second-degree murder in Mr Nichols' death were members of the Scorpion unit, which was disbanded after Mr Nichols' death.

• Sixth officer fired after death of Tyre Nichols

• Police unit disbanded after Tyre Nichols' death

The lawsuit alleges the beating of Mr Nichols was not "the result of the actions of five rogue police officers", but "the culmination of a Department-ordered and Department-tolerated rampage by the unqualified, untrained, and unsupervised SCORPION Unit carrying out an unconstitutional mandate on the streets of Memphis without any fear of retribution".

Video footage of the 7 January traffic stop shows police officers tasing, kicking, and punching the 29-year-old father after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving.

The lawsuit alleges the five officers charged in Mr Nichols' death had no "lawful basis" to pull him over, but one of them, Officer Emmitt Martin III, "pursued Tyre waiting for an opportunity to stop him".

Chief Davis has said she was not able to substantiate claims that Mr Nichols was driving recklessly.

The City of Memphis has fired six police officers and three fire department employees in connection to Mr Nichols' death.

The five officers charged in Mr Nichols' death have pleaded not guilty. They are scheduled to be back in court on 1 May.