Police in South Yorkshire have long maintained that misbehaving fans caused the disaster, and the first inquest, in 1991, returned a verdict of “accidental death,” which was decried by the bereaved families. That verdict was overturned in 2012 after new evidence came to light, and a new inquest was begun after a determined campaign by the families.

According to the Guardian, the Independent Police Complaints Commission is conducting two separate investigations into possible criminal offenses committed by the police during the disaster, along with possible perjury charges against the officers who blamed the fans during the inquests. Investigators said they will send their findings to the Crown Prosecution Service by the end of the year.

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The Hillsborough incident was one of the worst disasters in sports history, with 96 killed and 766 injured on April 15, 1989, after Liverpool’s fans were allowed to cram into already-full standing-room terraces during the FA Cup semifinal at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, chosen for the game as a neutral site. Five minutes after the game began, a fence separating the fans from the field gave way under pressure of the surging spectators, causing fans to fall upon one another. According to the BBC, more than 3,000 people tried to cram into terraces that were designed to hold only half that number.

The authorities’ response to the incident was marred by errors. Ambulances were dispatched to the stadium but few medical personnel made it to the field because police were keeping them away or focusing on keeping the Liverpool fans away from the Nottingham supporters. Most of the people who died — 82 of 96, according to the BBC — never even made it to the hospital, suffocating on the field or in the terraces.

Seventy-eight of the victims were aged 30 or younger. Thirty-eight were children or teenagers. The youngest was 10 years old.

Families of the deceased cheered the verdict, gathering outside the courtroom to chant “justice for the 96” and sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein song that has been adopted by Liverpool fans as an anthem.