In an unprecedented move, 3 white police officers were charged in the death of a black man.
In total, six Baltimore police officers were charged with 2nd degree murder, manslaughter, and gross negligence in the death of Freddie Gray, 25.
Baltimore City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby announced the charges against the officers on Friday. She said Gray was fatally injured in the back of a police transport van during a rough ride.
Officer Caesar Goodson, the 45-year-old driver of the police transport van, faces six charges. The most serious charge is “second-degree depraved heart murder,” for ignoring Gray’s serious condition. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted.
All six officers were arrested and released on bail Friday. They are expected to be suspended without pay.
Lt. Brian W. Rice, 41, is the bike patrol officer who first made eye contact with Gray on the morning of April 12th. Gray ran and he was pursued by officers Garrett E. Miller, 26, and Edward M. Nero. The officers tackled Gray and handcuffed him.
According to WBAL, Gray told the officers he couldn’t breathe and asked for an inhaler. The officers sat him up and searched his pockets. They found a folded knife clipped to his front pocket, but no inhaler.
Mosby said the folding knife was “lawful” and Gray should not have been arrested.
The officers again placed Gray face down on the ground. Gray reportedly began screaming and flailing his legs. Nero, 29, held Gray down using his knee on Gray’s back in a common police restraint tactic.
When Goodson arrived with the police van, Nero and Rice put Gray in the back of the van. Neither officer buckled Gray’s set belt.
During one of 4 stops along the route to the Western District police station, Miller, Nero and Rice (all of whom are white) took Gray out of the van and put leg shackles and flex handcuffs on him.
During the route to the police station, Goodson requested assistance with Gray, who was “irate” and asking for medical help.
Officer William S. Porter arrived, and he and Goodson opened the door to check on Gray. Both Goodson and Porter are black.
Porter, 25, helped Gray off the floor and to the bench. At this point Gray was alert but still agitated. Neither Porter nor Goodson called for an ambulance.
Sgt. Alcia White met the paddy wagon at the 4th stop to pick up the 2nd prisoner, Donta Allen, 22.
White put Allen into the back of the van. A metal partition separated Allen from Gray.
White, Goodson and Porter observed Gray lying unresponsive on the floor of the van. , According to Mosby, White “spoke to the back of Gray’s head,” but there was no response.
Goodson, White and Porter did not call for an ambulance, according to Mosby.
The next stop was the police station, where Goodosn removed Allen from the van and took him inside to be processed by booking. For an undetermined period of time no one checked on Gray lying motionless in the van.
By the time someone checked on Gray, he was not breathing and was in full cardiac arrest.
An ambulance transported Gray to a hospital, where he died one week later.
The circuitous ride to the police station took nearly an hour, despite the fact that it was only a few blocks from where Gray was arrested.
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