CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images via AFP
The five police officers charged with beating Tire Nichols to death have pleaded not guilty
UNITED STATES – The five police officers charged with murder following the fatal caning of African-American man Tire Nichols in January, a case that had sparked fears of a social conflagration and in which the White House was heavily implicated, pleaded guilty this Friday, February 17 , not guilty.
The officers, who are black themselves and were subsequently fired, appeared before a judge in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, accompanied by their attorneys, who said they pleaded not guilty. They are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr.
What comes after this ad?
Tire Nichols’ mother was present in the courtroom, as was his attorney Ben Crump, who was heavily involved in police brutality cases. Responding to American media on Wednesday, she arranged for a daily meeting with the defendants in court: “They didn’t even have the courage to look me in the eye … You will see me in court every day until we know justice for.” my son”.
“They didn’t even have the courage to look me in the face… They will see me every court day… until we… https://t.co/Xli8UwGGZs.”
— NowThis (@nowthisnews)
Judge James Jones Jr. called it “patience aid.” “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 to be closed as soon as possible,” he said.
“But it’s important that you all understand that the State of Tennessee, as well as each of these defendants, has the absolute right to a fair trial, and I will not allow conduct that would jeopardize that right,” he warned.
What comes after this ad?
Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested on January 7 by special forces agents in Memphis, southern United States, for a traffic violation, according to police.
However, he was beaten mercilessly to the point that his family said he was unrecognizable and died in hospital three days later. Videos of the arrest were released and broadcast on the country’s major networks, showing the extent of the young man’s ordeal.
The five police officers were charged with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping under aggravated circumstances, professional misconduct and abuse by a sovereign person.
What comes after this ad?
US Vice President Kamala Harris attended Tire Nichols’ funeral, and the young man’s parents were invited to President Joe Biden’s major State of the Union address in Washington.
See also on The HuffPost:
You cannot view this content for the following reasons:
- You have rejected cookies related to third-party content by logging in. You can therefore not play our videos, which require third-party cookies to work.
- You are using an ad blocker. We advise you to disable it to be able to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases applies to you, contact us at [email protected].