Jury selection continues in the trial of three former Memphis defendants.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jury selection began Tuesday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers accused of violating federal civil rights laws by beating him in connection with the January 2023 killing of Tyre Nichols.

Before jury selection, 200 candidates answered questionnaires to assess their suitability for the jury. They answered questions from U.S. District Judge Mark Norris about whether they could be fair and impartial given the massive media coverage before the trial and whether they would mind watching video of the beating if they were selected.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived 29-year-old Nichols of his rights through excessive use of force and failure to intervene and obstructed justice through witness tampering. The beating was recorded on police cameras and sparked protests and calls for police reform. Two other defendants, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges and could testify against their former colleagues.

The process is expected to take three to four weeks.

Nichols, who was black, died in a hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after he was kicked, punched and beaten with a police baton following a traffic stop. A police video released this month shows the five officers, who are also black, beating Nichols as he screamed for his mother about a block from his home. The video also shows the officers loitering and talking among themselves while Nichols sat on the ground, struggling with his injuries.

Officials said Nichols was stopped for reckless driving, but the Memphis police chief said there was no evidence to support that claim.

An autopsy report showed that Nichols died from blows to the head and that the cause of death was homicide. The report described brain injuries as well as cuts and bruises on the head and elsewhere.

Nichols worked for FedEx and enjoyed skateboarding and photography.

The three officers now on trial, along with Martin and Mills, were fired for violating Memphis Police Department policy. They were members of a crime-fighting unit called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols' death.

Shortly after their release, the five were charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. They were then indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

Mills and Martin have pleaded guilty in federal court and are expected to plead guilty to the state charges. A trial date in state court has not yet been set.

On Monday, the judge read a list of possible witnesses that included Martin and Mills, as well as two other former police officers. Preston Hemphill fired his stun gun at the scene of the traffic stop, but did not follow Nichols to where other officers were beating him. Hemphill was fired. Dewayne Smith was the senior lieutenant who arrived at the scene after the fight. He retired rather than be fired.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told reporters Tuesday that Nichols' death “should never have happened” but that “steps have been taken to improve the situation in the city of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department.”

“This family will be forever changed by this loss,” the Republican said when asked directly about the ongoing proceedings. “And we talk a lot about restitution. And we have to hope that the restitution that comes with justice will be done in this case.”

Earlier this year, Lee and Republican lawmakers clashed with Nichols' mother and stepfather when the state rolled back Memphis police reforms that had been implemented after their son's death. One of the repealed city ordinances had banned so-called sham traffic stops, such as for a broken tail light and other minor violations.

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Associated Press reporters Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.