Tyre Nichols died of blunt force injuries after being beaten by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop, an autopsy has found.
The post-mortem showed Mr Nichols, 29, suffered brain injuries and wounds to his head and elsewhere on his body.
Five police officers were charged with murder and other crimes after his death – they pleaded not guilty in February.
Mr Nichols’ death three days after the traffic stop sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.
Video footage of the 7 January incident shows police officers using Tasers, as well as kicking and punching Mr Nichols after he was pulled over whilst driving.
The results of the autopsy conducted by medical examiners in Tennessee’s Shelby County showed that Mr Nichols was suffering from internal bleeding and tears to his brain, as well as bruises and cuts throughout his body.
It also found that he had a blood alcohol level of .049 percent, considerably below the legal limit to drive in the state.
An independent autopsy commissioned by the family in January came to similar conclusions.
In a statement, family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said that “video of this killing stunned the world, and we are once again stunned to see it put into words by the medical examiner”.
“The utter brutality of the deadly beating that Tyre suffered is once again highlighted in these official autopsy results – no part of this young man was spared as he was tortured to death by these officers,” the statement said.
The Memphis Police Department has not commented on the new autopsy results. The city’s police chief, Cerelyn Davis, has previously said she saw no justification for the traffic stop and called the actions of the officers involved as “heinous” and “inhumane”.
In mid-April, the Nichols family filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department and the officers involved.
The family is asking for a jury to award monetary compensation to cover medical, funeral and other expenses that they incurred as a result of Mr Nichols’ death.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the officers’ now-disbanded team – called the Scorpion unit – was “carrying out an unconstitutional mandate on the streets of Memphis without any fear of retribution”.
The City of Memphis has fired six police officers and three fire department employees in connection to Mr Nichols’ death.
Source: BBC News