Former Memphis police officers charged with murder in death of Tyre Nichols

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Good evening.

  Five former police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, have been charged tonight with second-degree murder in a killing that has echoed across the country.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The victim, Tyre Nichols, died after a confrontation during a traffic stop earlier this month.

  John Yang has our report.

• John Yang:

  The head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said he was appalled.

  David Rausch, Director, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: Frankly, I'm shocked, I'm sickened by what I saw. And what we have learned through our extensive and thorough investigation, let me be clear, what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal.

• John Yang:

  Fired Memphis police officers Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean all charged with the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.

  Police said they stopped Nichols the evening of January 7 near his home for reckless driving and that he fled on foot. There was another confrontation, police say, after they caught up with him. Nichols was hospitalized, complaining of shortness of breath. He died three days later.

  Police said Nichols had a medical emergency, but the family's attorneys said early results from an independent autopsy the family commissioned showed he suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating. The attorneys say body camera footage shows a police beating that lasted three minutes and included pepper spray and Tasing.

  Civil rights attorney Ben Crump:

  Benjamin Crump, Attorney for Family of Tyre Nichols: He's only about 80 to 100 yards from his house, and he calls for his mom, three times: "Mom." He calls for his mom.

  Where's the humanity? Where's the humanity?

• John Yang:

  Crump likened it to the 1991 videotape of Los Angeles police beating Rodney King. Nichols was a FedEx worker and an aspiring photographer. His family described him as a loving father to his 4-year-old son.

  Rowvaughn Wells, Mother of Tyre Nichols: We're going to get justice for my son Tyre if that's the last breath I take.

• MAN:

  That's right. Amen.

  (APPLAUSE)

• Rowvaughn Wells:

  Because, at the end of the day, my son and no son deserves this at all.

• John Yang:

  Memphis officials say they are braced for a backlash tomorrow when the body camera video is made public.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang.