The five officers accused of killing 29-year-old Tyre Nichols appeared in court for the first time... and pleaded not guilty.
Officers stopped Nichols on January 7th - he died three days later in the hospital after being savagely beaten.
That assault was caught on police body cameras and was released to the public.
As Tyre Nichols' family watched the officers enter their pleas... not one of the five officers made eye contact with Nichols' mother who sat in the gallery.
The officers were part of a specialized street crime unit called scorpion – formed in 2021 to fight rising crime. However, the unit was discontinued last month after Nichols' death.
Two other Memphis police officers have been relieved of duty, and three Memphis fire department employees were also fired.
Most recently, two Shelby county sheriff's office deputies were suspended for five days, without pay, after they failed to activate their body cameras during the beating.
The Shelby county district attorney's office has said it's going to review all prior cases -- both closed and pending – involving these officers.
The next court hearing is scheduled for May 1st.
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