Five former Memphis police officers charged with manslaughter in the death of Tyree Nichols have pleaded not guilty in their first court appearances.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith were involved in the January 7 arrest of Mr. Nichols.
He was fired after an internal investigation by the Memphis Police Department.
Mr. Nichols’ death sparked protests against police brutality in the United States.
The judge confirmed that all five defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official coercion.
Judge James Jones asked for patience as attorneys make their cases.
“This case may take some time,” he told the defendants standing before him with their attorneys in Shelby County Criminal Court.
“We ask for your continued patience and your consistency in this matter,” he said.
Members of Mr Nicholls’ family were in court with his lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr. Nichols’ mother, Roe Van Wells, spoke to reporters outside court and reflected on seeing the former officers in person.
He said that he did not even have the courage to look at my face.
He promised to attend every court date until “we get justice for my son”.
“Memphis and the whole world needs to see what’s right in this case, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later,” lead prosecutor Paul Hagerman told reporters.
The former officers, dressed in suits and wearing black face masks, stood silently by their lawyers during the brief hearing.
None of the defendants spoke. His lawyers confirmed the not guilty pleas when asked by the judge.
The officers were arrested and taken into custody after Memphis police reviewed body cam footage of the violent arrest on January 26.
In the footage, Mr Nicholls, 29, can be heard calling out to his mother as he was beaten by police for allegedly driving recklessly.
Officers pepper-sprayed, kicked and punched him, and he died in hospital three days later.
Memphis Police Chief Sirlin Davis said the incident was “not just a professional failure” but a “failure of basic humanity toward another individual.”
Row Vaughan Wells previously told JEE News that it was the race of the victim – in this case her son – and not the race of the perpetrators that mattered.
“It’s not about the color of the police officer. We don’t care if it’s black, white, pink, purple. What they did was wrong,” he said.
