‘Let’s not forget my client is a black man in America,’ said lawyer defending one of the Memphis police officers charged with death of black motorist Tyre Nichols’, playing the race card

Tyre Nichols, 29, died on January 10, three days after a savage group beating by the Memphis police officers during a traffic stop

Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith before a judge in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis, TN, Friday morning.

Defendants who have been charged with second degree murder and manslaughter all entered not guilty pleas

In addition the officers also have been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression

It was the first time the officers came face to face with Tyre’s family   

The five Memphis police officers arraigned for the savage beating of motorist Tyre Nichols leading to his death, all pled not guilty to murder and assault charges today.
Now fired MPD officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and their lawyers appeared with their lawyers before a judge in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday morning.
The defendants all entered not guilty pleas to charges of second degree murder and manslaughter. Their next court appearance has been scheduled for May.

The officers were caught on camera beating Nichols on January 7 while arresting him for what they claimed was reckless driving.
Nichols died in the hospital three days later after extensive bleeding.
The hearing lasted only a few minutes before the case was adjourned today. The officers all wore COVID-19 masks that shielded their faces.

Outside the courtroom, an attorney for Desmond Mills Jr. told reporters that he was innocent.
Another attorney for Tadarrius Bean said his client ‘never struck’ Nichols.
‘Let’s not forget that my client is a black man in a courtroom in America which is a country where black people are incarcerated at five times the rate of white people.
‘A country where black people are 7.5 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white people.

The officers said nothing throughout the hearing. Their attorneys spoke on their behalf.
In addition to second-degree murder, the officers also have been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. They are all on bail.
Nichols’ death is the latest police killing to prompt nationwide protests and renew an intense public discussion about police brutality. 
An officer hit Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away towards his nearby home, according to video released by the city.
Officers, who were part of a crime-suppression team known as the Scorpion unit caught up with Nichols and punched, kicked and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

After the beating, officers stood by and talked to one another as Nichols struggled with his injuries on the ground, video showed. One officer took photos of Nichols as he was propped up against an unmarked police car, according to video and records.
Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video images. 
Memphis Police director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response.
She disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she created in November 2021, after Nichols’ death.
One other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. An additional officer who has not been identified has been suspended.
Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were present at the site of the arrest have also been fired. 
Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who were also there have been suspended without pay for violations including failing to keep their body cameras on.
Nichols’ family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Police Department on issues related to traffic stops, use of force, transparency and other policies.
Some of the relatives and lawyers have praised Ms Davis and the department for the swiftness of their response and said it should be the standard for other investigations into police brutality.