British court jury rules 96 Liverpool fans unlawfully killed in Hillsborough disaster

The 96 Liverpool supporters who died in the 1989 disaster at Hillsborough Stadium were unlawfully killed, a British court jury ruled Tuesday.

There was applause from the public gallery as the jurywoman read out their verdict after a two-year inquest hearing into the deaths.

The jurywoman said the decision was by a majority verdict of seven of the nine jury members.

Liverpool fans attending the FA Cup semi-final were cleared of any blame for the crush that left the 96 people dead and more than 700 fans injured.

Initially blame was heaped on the fans, but after a lengthy campaign and a formal inquiry, new inquests were ordered. It concluded with the announcement of the verdicts on Tuesday.

The jury blamed police omissions, particularly by police commanders in charge of crowd control on the day of the watch at Hillsborough, home ground of Sheffield Wednesday.

There were emotional scenes in the courtroom at Warrington in Cheshire, with many of the families of those killed in tears.

In Liverpool city center, lanterns were placed on the steps of St George's Hall as people in the city awaited the decisions.

The Hillsborough tragedy was the worst in England's football history and led to the introduction of all-seater stadia at the grounds of major clubs in Britain. Endit