Police error led to Britain's Hillsborough soccer disaster

LONDON — Ninety-six British soccer fans were "unlawfully killed" in the country's worst sporting disaster 27 years ago, an inquest found Tuesday.

The soccer fans, all supporters of Liverpool Football Club, died after being crushed at a stadium during a Liverpool match against Nottingham Forest. The game, an FA Cup semifinal, took place at Hillsborough stadium, in northern England.

An unlawful killing in the British judicial system is roughly equivalent to manslaughter. The inquest, which is not a criminal proceeding, found that all 96 fans died because of gross negligence by the police, the Guardian reported. The jury found that Liverpool fans were not to blame.

The state prosecutor said it will consider whether any criminal charges should be brought against any individual or organization.

Fans had filled fenced areas behind one of the goal posts while thousands of others waited to enter the stadium. Police ordered an exit gate to be opened to reduce the crowds outside, and thousands entered the stadium, crushing fans in the fenced areas.

David Duckenfield, the police chief who ordered the opening of the gate, is one of the senior officials facing criminal charges, the Telegraph reported. Duckenfield admitted at the inquest last year that he lied on the day of the disaster when he said some fans had forced the gate. He apologized to the families of the dead.

The inquest lasted more than two years. The original verdicts of accidental death were overturned in 2012.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "landmark day" as the inquest provided "long overdue justice" for the fans who lost their lives.

"I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of #Hillsborough campaigners in their long search for the truth," he tweeted.

Rachel Cerfontyne, deputy chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the police watchdog, said: "The conclusion of the inquests is another milestone and a day when my thoughts are with the families and friends of those who died as a result of the disaster. Our attention now focuses on concluding our criminal investigation into the aftermath of the disaster. This is by far the biggest and most complex investigation ever undertaken by the IPCC."