Tyre Nichols

The Justice Department said its investigation will focus on the Memphis Police Department's use of force, its stops and arrests and whether the department engages in discriminatory policing.

The family of Tyre Nichols and their attorneys were briefed on his official autopsy results Wednesday, nearly four months after his death.

The lawsuit compared Nichols' fatal police beating to the 1955 killing of Emmett Till, saying the 29-year-old suffered a beating "endured at hands of a modern-day lynch mob."

The late 29-year-old Sacramento native will be posthumously honored with a bronze plaque that will be installed at the newly renamed park.

Decertification hearings for others investigated in his death are pending. Decertification prevents officers from going to work in the same jurisdiction. They can still get police jobs out of state.

Lt. DeWayne Smith served as a supervisor on the now-deactivated SCORPION unit — the specialized police unit responsible for conducting the traffic stop that ultimately lead to Nichols' death.

The 20-some hours of video and audio footage were set to be released Wednesday alongside other documents from the city's investigation into the officers involved in the 29-year-old Black man's death.

Nearly 20 hours of new footage and audio, along with accompanying documents, will be released to the public on Wednesday afternoon, officials say.

They were arraigned on charges of murder, assault and other felonies. Tyre Nichols died three days after officers beat him following a Jan. 7 traffic stop.