The family of Tyre Nichols, who died after his violent arrest during a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee, have appealed to parents not to let their children see the police-worn bodycam footage.

Officials are expected to release the video showing the traffic stop that resulted in murder charges for five former Memphis officers on Saturday morning.

Some fear it could reignite mass protests over police killings of black people.

Nichols, a 29-year-old father, died in a hospital on January 10, three days after sustaining his injuries.

Tyre Nichols had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Photo: AAP

The five officers, who are black, have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told reporters he was sickened by what he saw in the police body-worn camera videos.

“What happened here does not at all reflect proper policing,” he said. “This was wrong. This was criminal.”

Tyre Nichols’ family gave an impassioned news conference on Saturday, also appealing for peaceful protests after the footage was released.

The victim’s mother RowVaughn Wells said she had not seen the video, but had heard it was “very horrific.”

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“We’re here today because of a tragedy that wounds one family deeply but also hurts us all,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said at a news conference on Friday.

After Nichols was stopped in his vehicle, there was “an altercation” in which officers used pepper spray on Nichols, Steve Mulroy said. Nichols fled on foot.

“There was another altercation at a nearby location at which the serious injuries were experienced by Mr Nichols,” the District Attorney said.

Memphis police initially said an ambulance was called because Nichols “complained of having a shortness of breath” and he was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Early responses from lawyers for accused

Blake Ballin, a lawyer representing Mills, said at a news conference that Mills was “devastated to find himself charged with a crime”.

Mr Ballin was joined by William Massey, representing Martin. Both lawyers said they had not seen the bodycam video.

Their clients were each posting a bond to be released from jail on Thursday and intended to plead not guilty, they said.

Calls for calm

Other Memphis officers remained under investigation for policy infractions, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said.

In a video posted on YouTube, she asked for calm when the video footage is made public.

Several cases of police officers using excessive force on black people in the United States over the years have been condemned by the public and led to calls for changes in policing.

Protests broke out globally following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.

The Nichols family viewed the police footage on Monday with their lawyer, Ben Crump.

He compared the beating to the 1991 Los Angeles police assault on Rodney King that was caught on video.