The Justice Department will investigate whether the city of Memphis and its police department systematically violated civil rights, officials announced on Thursday.
Memphis police faced widespread condemnation earlier this year following the homicide of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man who was viciously beaten by a large group of officers during a traffic stop in January and died three days later.
“The tragic death of Tyre Nichols created enormous pain in the Memphis community and across the country,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“The Justice Department is launching this investigation to examine serious allegations that the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct and discriminatory policing based on race, including a dangerously aggressive approach to traffic enforcement,” he added.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.