Five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty to murder charges of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in their first court appearance Friday.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith were fired and arrested on multiple charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, official oppression, and two counts of official misconduct.
They are accused of pulling Nichols from his vehicle during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and beating him. Nichols, a FedEx employee and father, was hospitalized due to the incident and died three days later.
Video footage of the traffic stop was released to the public last month and has since sparked nationwide outrage.
Each disgraced officer faces 15 to 60 years in prison if convicted on second-degree murder charges.
They are scheduled to return to court on May 1.
A sixth officer has also been fired, and a seventh has been relieved of duty following the tragedy. More officers could receive administrative discipline, and the district attorney said additional charges could be filed.
Ben Crump, who represents Nichols’ family, spoke at his funeral, saying his legacy “will be one of equal justice.”
“It will be the blueprint going forward, because we have to remember that in less than 20 days … they were terminated, they were arrested and they were charged,” he said of the officers.
