The four fired officers involved in the fatal Minneapolis arrest of black American George Floyd are due to appear in court on Friday.
The hearing will include the question of whether the four should be tried jointly or separately from each other.
The main suspect is the former white agent Derek Chauvin, who is on remand. It is the first time that he has appeared in person in court since Floyd’s death in May, which sparked protests worldwide against police brutality and racism.
Chauvin sat for minutes with his knee on the neck of the detainee, who was unable to breathe. In June he appeared in court for the first time via video connection.
The other suspects are J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. They are accused of conspiracy. The three are out on bail.
All four deny being guilty of the charges. They also want further hearing of their lawsuit to take place in a different city than Minneapolis.