Officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death: Clockwise from top left, Baltimore police officers William G. Porter, Garrett E. Miller, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Edward M. Nero, Alicia D. White and Brian W. Rice. (Baltimore Police Department)
UPDATE: Above, Kevin Moore took original video of Freddie Gray’s arrest. He questions why it is the Black van driver, Caesar Goodson, Jr. who is facing the heaviest charges. He says the officers who first arrested Freddie on the street were responsible for his mortal injuries. A white woman cop shown in the arrest video has NOT been charged at all; three of six cops charged are Black. See Washington Post article on charges at:
Charges Against 6 Officers In Freddie Gray’s Death Range From Murder To Assault
Gray’s arrest declared illegal
Most severe charge, second degree depraved heart murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, leveled at driver of van.
May 01, 2015 8:30 AM ET
Elected State’s Attorney for the City of Baltimore Marilyn J. Mosby announces charges against six cops involved in Freddie Gray’s death.
The death of Freddie Gray was a homicide, and six Baltimore police officers now face criminal charges that include second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, Baltimore chief prosecutor Marilyn J. Mosby says.
Mosby announced the charges Friday morning, citing her office’s “thorough and independent” investigation and the medical examiner’s report on Gray’s death. She said warrants were issued today for the officers’ arrest.
The city’s recently elected state’s attorney, Mosby detailed a range of charges against several officers, with the offenses ranging from one count of second degree murder and four counts of involuntary manslaughter to assault and misconduct in office.
Freddie Gray screams in agony as he is arrested April 12, 2015. He had no pulse on arrival to the hospital, but was resuscitated. He succumbed to severe spinal cord injuries April 19. Officials now say he received the fatal injury in the police van during a “rough ride,” but others earlier reported that one of the cops above knelt on his neck at the time of the arrest. He could not walk afterwards and was dragged to the van by the cops and thrown inside “like a pretzel” said one observer.
The most severe charges are leveled against Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr., identified as the driver of the van that transported Gray to a police station. He is charged with second degree depraved heart murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
The investigation by the prosecutor’s office found there had been no reason to detain Gray — and that his arrest was in itself illegal, Mosby said. She said that the knife that police officers had found on Gray turned out to be legal.
After announcing the charges, Mosby noted her own ties to the police community — including her mother and father. She thanked officers who are committed to serving the community.
Baltimore police brutalize a demonstrator during the days of protest after Freddie Gray’s death.
We’ll have more details from the announcement and any documents released by the prosecutor’s office.
From the release:
Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr.: Second degree depraved heart murder; involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); manslaughter by vehicle (criminal negligence); misconduct in office
Officer William G. Porter: Involuntary manslaughter; second degree assault; misconduct in office
Lt. Brian W. Rice: Involuntary manslaughter; two counts of second degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment
THE FIRE THIS TIME: Baltimore goes up in flames during rebellion April 27, 2015.
Officer Edward M. Nero: Two counts of second degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment
Officer Garrett E. Miller: Two counts of second degree assault; two counts of misconduct in office; false imprisonment
Sgt. Alicia D. White: Involuntary manslaughter; second degree assault; misconduct in office
Update at 10:51 a.m. ET: Recounting Details Of Gray’s Arrest
Running down an exhaustive account of Gray’s arrest and treatment while in custody, Baltimore’s chief prosecutor is listing numerous occasions on which Gray was not properly restrained with a seatbelt while he rode in the back of a police van.
Update at 10:48 a.m. ET: Gray’s Death A Homicide, Prosecutor Says
Gloria Darden, mother of Freddie Gray, center, sits in front of Gray’s casket at his burial, Monday, April 27, 2015, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Mosby said she has assured Gray’s family that “no one is above the law,” also cited her oath of office, in which she promised “uphold justice.”
She said that her review of the case found there had been no reason to detain Gray, and that his arrest was illegal.
The leading prosecutor in Baltimore spoke at a 10:30 a.m. news conference held in downtown Baltimore. The occasion brought a large show of force from both police and National Guard personnel who have been called on to secure the area since violence and vandalism broke out Monday night.
Gene Ryan, Pres. of Baltimore FOP (Fraternal Order of Police)
Earlier today, the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police says it has sent a letter to Mosby, asking her to appoint a special independent prosecutor in the case. The chapter’s president alleged that she had “many conflicts of interest” in the case. This morning, Mosby said she would be handling the case herself, adding that the people of Baltimore had elected her.
Mosby spoke one day after receiving the Baltimore Police Department’s report on Gray’s death. The findings aren’t public, and police revealed only a few new details when they announced the transition in the case Thursday.
NPR and other news organizations have asked Baltimore’s police department to release its report on the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, as well as for related documents and materials such as tapes of 911 calls made when Gray was taken into custody.
Our original post continues:
Freddie Gray tossed into police van after arrest.
Gray died on April 19, one week after being taken into custody. Police have said that during his transport, Gray wasn’t buckled in properly and did not receive timely medical care. Six police officers remain suspended over the case.
As the Two-Way has reported, when police turned over the documents to State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby in Baltimore, they announced that “the van transporting Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who suffered a serious spine injury while in police custody and later died, made one more stop than previously thought.”
The roughly 40 minutes that Gray spent in the van have emerged as the focal point in the inquiry over how he sustained the injury.
That extra stop was discovered through a review of recordings made by security and private cameras, Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said. He added that another detainee who was riding in the van told police that Gray was “still moving around … kicking and making noises” until the van reached the police station.
That second detainee rode in the police van on the other side of a metal partition that divides its cargo space. When he was picked up, Gray was already in the van.
Local news WJZ-TV reports that Donta Allen, 22, was that second man — and that he came forward Thursday out of concern over how his comments were being portrayed by both the police and the media.
“When I was in the back of that van it did not stop or nothing. All it did was go straight to the station, but I heard a little banging, like he was banging his head,” Allen said. ” I didn’t even know he was in the van until we got to the station.”
Saying his words have been distorted by recent reports and that he doesn’t think Gray hurt himself intentionally, Allen also told a WJZ reporter, “The only reason I’m doing this is because they put my name in a bad state.”
Allen, who was reportedly taken into custody for a minor offense and was not charged with a crime, also spoke to WBAL TV. He told the station that when he got into the van, he didn’t know Gray was already there. He said he heard “a little banging for like four seconds.”
(VOD: is current account of Freddie Gray’s spinal injury accurate? A witness at the scene said he saw a cop kneeling on Freddie Gray’s neck before they dragged him into the van, as shown in the video. The witness says Gray was NOT able to even walk at the time. He is heard screaming out in pain repeatedly. Which version will unpublished autopsy results bear out and how will that affect the prosecution of the officers charged?)
Protesters demand “Jail Killer Police!”
WBAL aired surveillance camera footage that shows officers looking into Gray’s side of the van during the stop that also picked up Allen.
When the van arrived at the police station, Allen said he heard the officers say that Gray didn’t have a pulse and was unresponsive — and that another officer later said, “He’s got vitals now, he must’ve come back.”
The sequence of events has led to wide-ranging questions over what happened: Was the van driven in a way that caused Gray’s injury? When did Gray become unresponsive? Were the sounds Allen heard caused by a seizure experienced by a gravely wounded man?
The Baltimore Sun reports: “Maryland’s chief medical examiner, Dr. David R. Fowler, said his office has not completed an autopsy or turned any documents over to police or prosecutors. He said homicide detectives had observed the examination, a routine practice.”
May the youth of Baltimore continue their battle, with support across the U.S., until justice for ALL is won.
When it’s complete, Fowler’s report will go straight to the state’s attorney’s office, the newspaper says.
NPR and other news organizations have asked Baltimore’s police department to release its report on the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, as well as for related documents and materials such as tapes of 9-1-1 calls made when Gray was taken into custody.
Protesters have been calling on police to reveal more information about the case.
Thursday was the third night of Baltimore’s 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew. Ahead of the deadline, crowds of demonstrators marched downtown amid a large police presence. Baltimore’s curfew is expected to remain in effect through this weekend.
According to The Associated Press, here’s what protesters were chanting Thursday night:
- “I love Baltimore. We want peace.”
- “No justice, no peace.”
- “Justice. Freddie Gray.”
- “Black lives matter.”
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