Puryear said that he was not surprised by the not-guilty verdict, but is “dumbfounded” by claims made by officers under oath. But the officers failed to provide a compelling reason to “limit inspection of the case record sufficient to overcome the presumption of openness” under Maryland law, Judge Althea Handy said Wednesday.
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None of the parties involved is permitted to comment due to a gag order in the case.
Legal experts say the officers’ lawsuit is a stretch. “The allegations would have to border on intentional conduct to cause them irreparable injury”.
Police said that Nero, who was patrolling an area off North Avenue on bicycle on April 12, 2015, pursued Gray with fellow bicycle patrol Officer Garrett Miller after a lieutenant reported that Gray made eye contact with him and ran. The city of Baltimore was still under curfew when Mosby filed charges against the officers.
An earlier trial for an officer charged with manslaughter in the case ended in a hung jury in December. The officers have said they believed Gray was simply being uncooperative.
The other officers, two white and two black, are set to each have separate trials over the summer and into the fall. “His hope is that the state’s attorney will reevaluate the remaining five officers’ cases and dismiss their charges”.
“I don’t know why she was persuaded that she needed to bring the disorders to an end by charging the police”, he said.
“We once again ask the citizens to be patient and to allow the entire process to come to a conclusion”, she said.
The civil action also names Sheriff’s Office Maj.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky). Protesters gather outside of a courthouse after Officer Edward Nero, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, was acquitted of all charges in his trial in Baltimore, Mond… He signed the charging documents in the case. They usually investigate more thoroughly.
According to our media partner, The Baltimore Sun, Sergeant Alicia White and Officer William Porter are suing Mosby for defamation and invasion of privacy.
Nero’s attorneys said Nero touched Gray only twice ” first to help him up from the ground after he had been handcuffed and was asking for an inhaler, then to help put him back in the van.
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“As a result and proximate result of the false and defamatory statement, plaintiffs were placed on administrative leave with no pay and have suffered and continue to suffer monetary damages in the form of lost income, lost raises in salary and lost promotions”, the lawsuit states. “This is a situation where police officers are admitting to violating their own procedures but somehow … there’s still no conviction”. He waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to argue his case before Circuit Judge Barry Williams.
