Tyre Nichols' mom said ex-cops 'didn't have the courage' to look at her when they pleaded not guilty to murdering her son

• Five fired Memphis officers pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Tyre Nichols' death.

• His mom said after the arraignment that the officers didn't look her in the face.

• The five men are expected to return to court for their next hearing in May.

Tyre Nichols' mother said former police officers "didn't have the courage" to look at her face when they pleaded not guilty to murder charges in court on Friday.

Nichols' mom RowVaughn Wells spoke to reporters after the five men — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — entered their not-guilty pleas.

"They didn't even have the courage to look at me in the face after what they did to my son," Wells said. "They're going to see me at every court day, every one, until we get justice."

In addition to second-degree murder, the five men are also charged with official misconduct, official oppression, and kidnapping.

Video released from a January 7 traffic stop shows the officers brutally beating 29-year-old Nichols in the street less than 100 yards from his mom's home as he called out for her. He died in the hospital three days later, prompting national police brutality protests in his honor.

Within 21 days, the five officers were fired, charged with murder, and the department's "SCORPION unit" — which they were all members of — was disbanded.

Another officer, Preston Hemphill, who was not at the scene of the beating but did use a stun gun on Nichols after the initial stop, was also fired. Other officers are facing internal departmental charges.

"I feel very numb right now and I'm waiting for this nightmare, basically, that I'm going through ... I'm waiting for someone to wake me up," Wells said. "I know my son is gone. I know I'll never see him again."

The five officers are due back in court in May.

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