PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The man accused of killing a Providence police officer appeared in court under high security Monday, flanked by two officers and again wearing a plastic spit shield over the bottom part of his face.

Esteban Carpio, 26, did not enter a plea to charges that he assaulted three prison guards last week.

His appearance was delayed for more than an hour because guards at the Adult Correctional Facility pepper-sprayed him when he refused to allow them to shackle his legs and photograph him before bringing him to court, corrections spokeswoman Joy Fox said.

During the appearance, Carpio asked Judge Elaine Bucci to allow him to remove the mask. She said she could not do that.

Muffled by the mask, he responded to questions about his address, birth date, and whether he wanted a public defender.

Carpio had been scheduled for a bail hearing on the murder charge he faces for Detective Sgt. James Allen’s death, but Bucci said it had to be delayed because Carpio’s out-of-state lawyers did not yet have the cooperation of an in-state attorney, which they need for the hearing.

When Bucci asked him if he understood why the bail hearing could not be held, Carpio said he did not understand, and Bucci explained it again.

Carpio was charged with assault and battery, assault with bodily fluids, and assault on a correctional officer, all felonies. He allegedly fractured one guard’s jaw, injured another’s thumb and spit on another last week after guards entered his cell to take away a blanket he had been trying to eat.

Bucci set bail at $30,000 with surety on those charges. She said Carpio would continue to be held without bail on the murder charge at the ACI until at least May 16, when she will review whether Carpio’s lawyers have the in-state partner they need.

Though tense, Monday’s hearing was far more subdued than Carpio’s last hearing April 18, the day after he allegedly shot and killed Allen. Carpio’s mother and other relatives became upset and had to be removed from the courtroom after Carpio appeared with a badly bruised and swollen face, still bleeding and wearing the spit shield.

On Monday, the part of Carpio’s face not covered by the mask appeared largely healed. But his family and friends alleged, as they did at his earlier court appearance, that he was a victim of police brutality.

More than a dozen Carpio supporters were in the courtroom. Some wore T-shirts with a picture of a smiling Carpio with a child. Some sat or stood side-by-side with the several police officers who attended the court appearance.

Outside the courthouse, they donned other T-shirts bearing two photos of Carpio. One, marked “before,” showed Carpio smiling. The other, marked “after,” showed his bruised, masked face at his earlier court appearance.

“Police brutality, that’s what it’s about,” said a woman who sat with Carpio’s girlfriend in court. She would not give her name.

The FBI is leading a probe into Carpio’s treatment during and after his arrest. The group reviewing his treatment includes members of the Providence police, state police, and FBI.