(Washington) The five police officers charged with murder after the fatal beating in January of African-American Tire Nichols, a case which had raised fears of a social conflagration and in which the White House was heavily involved, pleaded Friday not guilty.
The officers, who are black themselves and were fired after the fact, appeared before a judge on Friday in Memphis, Tenn., accompanied by their attorneys who said they pleaded “not guilty.”
MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT PHOTO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
From left to right in the front row: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III, and in the second row Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith
They are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr.
Tire Nichols’ mother was present in the courtroom, as was his lawyer Ben Crump, very involved in cases of police violence.
Judge James Jones Jr called on the audience for “patience”.
“We understand that there may be strong emotions in this matter, but we ask that you continue to be patient with us. Everyone involved wants the case closed as soon as possible,” he said.
“But it’s important for all of you to understand that the State of Tennessee, as well as each of these defendants, have the absolute right to a fair trial, and I will not permit any behavior that would jeopardize that right,” he said. he warned.
Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested on January 7 by officers from a special unit in Memphis, in the southern United States, for a traffic violation according to the police.
But beaten relentlessly, so much so that he had become unrecognizable according to his family, he died three days later in hospital. Videos of the arrest were made public and broadcast on the country’s biggest channels, showing the extent of the young man’s ordeal.
The five police officers were charged with murder, aggravated bodily harm, kidnapping with aggravated circumstances, professional misconduct and abuse by a person in possession of public authority.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attended Tyre Nichols’ funeral, and the young man’s parents were invited to President Joe Biden’s big State of the Union speech in Washington.