DOJ to review Memphis police after fatal beating

The police department in Memphis, Tennessee, will undergo an "independent, external review" by the US Justice Department and the International Association of Police Chiefs, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has announced.

Strickland said Friday in a statement that he had requested the review and that it will include assessing the department's special units and use-of-force policies "to honor Tyre [Nichols] and help make sure this type of tragedy does not happen again".

Nichols, 29, repeatedly cried, "Mom! Mom!" as five Memphis police officers pummeled him with kicks, punches and baton blows after a Jan 7 traffic stop, video released by the city showed.

He was hospitalized and died of his injuries three days after the confrontation in the city where he lived with his mother and stepfather and worked at FedEx.

The five have been charged with second-degree murder.

Nichols' death has further fueled an ongoing national debate in the United States about race and police brutality.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office told ABC News the review could take months.

On Feb 1, the Justice Department said it has opened a civil rights investigation into the arrest and beating of Nichols.

The US attorney's office released a statement saying the FBI's field office in Memphis and the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department are investigating the use of force used by police during Nichols' arrest. After initially declining comment on the Justice Department's investigation, the city of Memphis sent out a statement late Wednesday afternoon saying it will fully cooperate with the federal agencies conducting the probe.

The arrest and death of Nichols already has sparked separate investigations by Memphis police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Five officers at the scene of the beating were fired and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Nichols' death. The special task force they all had been assigned to was subsequently disbanded.

A sixth officer who responded to the initial traffic stop has been fired or violating "multiple department policies", Memphis police said on Friday. The violations included personal conduct, truthfulness, and a violation for not using a Taser in compliance with regulations, the department said.

Another unidentified officer involved in the traffic stop has been placed on administrative leave.

"Multiple" officers are also under investigation for policy violations related to Nichols' arrest and death, the department said Friday.

"While we no doubt have a long way to go on the road to healing, hopefully through our actions, citizens will see we are working to be better and that we are heading down the right path," he said in the statement.