Three ex-police officers face trial for fatal bodily harm

Jury selection begins Monday in the federal trial of three former police officers involved in the fatal attack on Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith are accused of violating the 29-year-old's civil rights through excessive use of force and other crimes. They have pleaded not guilty.

Two other former police officers who were also involved in the incident – a traffic stop that resulted in a brutal beating that was captured on video – could be called as witnesses against her.

Mr Nichols' death sparked protests against police brutality and calls for reform in one of the country's largest predominantly black cities.

The five men fired and charged in this case are also all black, and racial justice activists argue that this is evidence of larger problems with policing in black communities.

The officers were members of the Memphis Police Department's Scorpion Task Force, a controversial and now-defunct street unit tasked with reducing crime rates in certain areas.

Video footage of the defendant's encounter with Mr. Nichols on January 7, 2023 shows the motorist being stopped by police for alleged reckless driving, dragged from his vehicle, and severely beaten.

The victim is heard asking what he did wrong and later screaming for his mother.

He died three days later. The autopsy showed that he had died from blunt force trauma.

In total, the city of Memphis fired six police officers and three firefighters in connection with the incident.

In the trial in federal court, which begins on Monday, the three defendants are accused of “intentionally depriving Mr Nichols of his rights” through excessive use of force, failure to intervene during the attack and willful indifference to his serious medical needs. They are also accused of obstructing justice by conspiring to cover up the incidents.

They have pleaded not guilty and face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. The men also await a court date on related state charges.

Two former detectives – Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr – have both pleaded guilty to their involvement in Mr. Nichols' death since being indicted by a grand jury last September.

They are now cooperating with prosecutors and could then be asked to testify against their former colleagues.

The jury will be selected through a survey of about 200 Memphis residents.

Mr Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, and her husband, Rodney, are expected to attend the hearing.

“You want to make sure that what they're saying is correct and that everything is happening accordingly,” she told NPR.

“So you have to sit there and listen, even if you don’t want to.”

The family is currently suing the city of Memphis for $550 million (£420 million).