China News Agency, San Francisco, February 17 (Xinhua) According to US media reports, on the 17th local time, the case of Tyre Nichols, an African-American man in Memphis, Tennessee, died a few days after he was violently enforced by the police, was in court for the first time. None of the officers pleaded guilty.
On January 7, 29-year-old Nichols was stopped by the police while driving in Memphis, beaten and arrested, and died three days later.
Following an internal investigation by the Memphis Police Department, five officers directly involved in the beating of Nichols were fired.
CNN reported that Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced on January 26 that the five people were charged with multiple crimes including second-degree murder and serious injury.
On February 17, lawyers pleaded not guilty in court on their behalf.
The video released by the Memphis city authorities on January 27 showed that the police used stun guns, batons and pepper spray in the process of subduing Nichols, and punched and kicked him.
The handcuffed Nichols then collapsed to the ground, struggling for breath.
After the emergency personnel arrived, they did not immediately check or treat his injuries.
After the video was released, protests and demonstrations broke out in many places in the United States.
The five police officers charged in the case have been released on bail.
Several other police officers involved in the case, as well as fire department employees, have been fired or suspended, according to the Associated Press.
The next trial in the case will take place on May 1.
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