1 of 3 | Tyre Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10, three days after being beaten by police during a traffic stop in Memphis, Tenn. Photo courtesy of Ben Crump Law/
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May 4 (UPI) -- Attorneys for the family of Tyre Nichols said Wednesday that the official autopsy report states the 29-year-old man's death was a homicide the result of blunt force trauma.
Nichols died Jan. 10, three days after he was beaten by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop. An independent autopsy requested by prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who represent the Nichols family, was performed later that month, indicating the man had suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.
The official autopsy report has yet to be publicly released by Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy, but Crump and Romanucci said in a statement Wednesday that Nichols' family has been briefed on its contents.
"The legal team representing the family of Tyre Nichols acknowledges the release of the medical examiner's report, the contents of which are highly consistent with our own reporting back in January of this year. We know now what we knew then," the lawyers said. "Tyre Nichols died from blunt force trauma and the manner of death was homicide.
"The official autopsy report further propels our commitment to seeking justice for this senseless tragedy."
Graphic footage from police body cameras and a nearby security camera of the incident that was released by the city shows police drag Nichols from his car after pulling him over.
The officers yell orders at Nichols, who appears to try and comply before being pepper-sprayed. He is then tased as he attempts to flee.
The officers catch Nichols and beat him as he screams for his mother.
Five officers -- identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith -- have been fired and charged with offenses, including second-degree murder over Nichols' death.
Last month, Nichols' family filed a $500 million lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department and several individual officers, alleging negligence and excessive use of force.
