Tyre Nichols’ family to file civil lawsuit against city of Memphis, police over his death

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Tyre Nichols’ family plans to sue the city of Memphis, Tennessee and its police department over his death following a violent traffic stop in the city, their attorneys said.

Nichols, 29, died three days after he was beaten by police during a Jan. 7 traffic stop. Body camera footage of the altercation showed officers striking Nichols repeatedly.

His family’s attorneys — Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and local counsel, retired Judge Earnestine Hunt Dorse — said they will announce the filing of a civil lawsuit against the city and its police department on Wednesday.

The attorneys also plan to sue Memphis police for “intentional infliction of emotional distress for lying to his mother,” Crump’s office said in a statement.

Members of Nichols’ family will be attending a Wednesday afternoon press briefing outside the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in Memphis to announce the filing, Crump’s office said.

ABC News has reached out to the city of Memphis for comment on the pending litigation.

All five officers who were directly involved in the beating have been charged with second-degree murder. The officers all pleaded not guilty in their first court appearance on Feb. 17.

Seven other police officers were terminated following the incident, according to city of Memphis chief legal officer Jennifer Sink.

The incident has also sparked a Department of Justice review of the Memphis Police Department’s use-of-force and de-escalation policies.

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