Five police officers were indicted and jailed Thursday for the killing of an African-American man in early January, days after what his family said was a brutal arrest in the southern United States, AFP reported.

Police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, are facing multiple charges including murder, battery and kidnapping, according to Shelby County Jail records.

On January 7, the police tried to arrest 29-year-old African-American Tyre Nichols for a traffic violation.

When police approached, a “confrontation” ensued and “the suspect fled,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.

Tyree Nichols was eventually arrested but complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.

He died three days later.

The details of the arrest are still unknown: there is a video recording of the incident, but it has not yet been made public.

But according to lawyers for the family of Tyre Nichols, “the police beat him.”

The case has particular resonance in a country still reeling from the death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the Black Lives Matter protests against racism and police brutality that followed.

The five accused officers were released last week. An internal police investigation found that officers used excessive force.

The other officers are still under investigation.

Photo: Dreamtime