The 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, the inquest's jury has concluded.
The jurors were told they could only reach that determination if they were sure of four "essential" matters concerning the deaths at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.
They had to be convinced that overall match commander Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield owed a duty of care to those who died in the disaster, and that he was in breach of that duty of care.
Thirdly, they would need to be satisfied that his breach of duty caused the deaths and, fourthly, that it amounted to "gross negligence".
The jury concluded it was unlawful killing by a 7-2 majority.
The conclusion was greeted with sobbing and cheers at the hearing in Warrington.
Relatives of those who died at Hillsborough react after a jury concludes they were unlawfully killed.https://t.co/nTa55ZPRKO
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 26, 2016
Hillsborough victims' families sing "You'll never walk alone" outside the court after the inquest.https://t.co/oJlcm1fHQM
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 26, 2016
The jury also ruled that fan behaviour did not cause or contribute to the tragedy.
It agreed the tragedy happened "as a result of crushing in the central pens of the Leppings Lane terrace, following the admission of a large number of supporters to the stadium through the exit gates".
And the jury answered yes to the question: "Was there any error or omission in police planning or preparation which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the match?"
Fourteen general questions were asked, with others covering stadium safety, the emergency response to the disaster and whether the fans were unlawfully killed.
The Hillsborough disaster unfolded during Liverpool's cup tie against Nottingham Forest on 15 April as thousands of fans were crushed at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.
Mr Duckenfield gave the order at 2.52pm to open exit Gate C in Leppings Lane, allowing around 2,000 fans to flood into the already packed central pens behind the goal.
