By Maria Alejandra Cardona

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Reuters) – 5 former Memphis cops on Friday pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide and different costs stemming from final month’s beating of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose dying three days later stirred outrage and recent requires reform.

Police video captured photos of the officers beating and kicking Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray and firing a stun gun at him on Jan. 7 following a visitors cease. The case has renewed a nationwide dialogue of race relations and police brutality.

The 5 officers, all of them out on bail, entered their pleas throughout an arraignment in Shelby County Prison Courtroom in Memphis, the place they’re formally charged with second-degree homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

“I really feel very numb. I’m ready for this nightmare – ready for somebody to wake me up,” RowVaughn Wells, the sufferer’s mom, wearing black, mentioned outdoors the courthouse after the listening to.

“I would like every a type of officers to look me within the face,” she mentioned. “They didn’t even have the braveness to have a look at me.”

The 5 officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmit Martin, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith – are Black. They’ve been fired from the police drive, and the particular unit to which they belonged has been disbanded.

Shelby County Choose James Jones set a Could 1 date for the subsequent listening to within the case towards the officers, who face a most penalty of 60 years in jail if convicted of the homicide cost.

“We perceive that there could also be some excessive feelings on this case, however we ask that you just proceed to be affected person with us,” Jones mentioned through the listening to. “Everybody concerned desires this case to be concluded as shortly as attainable.”

A sixth officer, who’s white, was additionally fired, as have three Memphis Hearth Division emergency medical technicians who arrived afterNichols was crushed. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the scene had been suspended 5 days with out pay.

Nichols – a 29-year-old father, avid skateboarder and scholar of pictures – tried to converse with police as they shouted orders and threatened him with violence throughout final month’s ordeal.

“You guys are actually doing so much proper now. I’m simply attempting to go house,” Nichols mentioned at one level, sitting on the road as police tried to subdue him.

“Cease. I’m not doing something,” Nichols mentioned, simply earlier than breaking free and operating.

When police caught as much as him, he was crushed whereas being restrained, clubbed with a baton and kicked whereas on the bottom.

Lower than 100 yards (meters) from house, he referred to as out for his mom a number of instances.

Officers on the video mentioned Nichols had swerved via visitors dangerously, and one mentioned Nichols tried to seize his gun through the scrum.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Enhancing by Stephen Coates and Jonathan Oatis)