After several days of destructive rioting a year ago, Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby yielded to the demands of the mob and filed criminal charges against a group of police officers in connection with the tragic death of Freddie Gray. The Baltimore’s top prosecutor is facing criticism that she moved too qui…
Advertisement
Officer Edward Nero faces assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges.
Two of the six Baltimore officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have filed a defamation lawsuit against State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Now, as the Sun noted, a gag order was placed on the charged officers during the case, which is why White and Porter tried to keep the suit sealed, but a judge ruled today that they didn’t provide a sufficient enough reason.
His death and funeral sparked protests and riots in Baltimore, and helped fuel the national Black Lives Matter movement.
“Are we aware of administrative shortcomings that have existed in the Baltimore Police Department? Absolutely. And we’re reacting to that responsibly by making improvements”.
Nero was charged after arresting Gray without justification and failing to secure him in a police cruiser. Gray died April 19, 2015, and his death was immediately characterized as the murder of another innocent black man by police.
Nero’s acquittal follows the December mistrial of Officer William Porter on manslaughter charges. It also exposed troubles within the police department. Prosecutors are looking to take him back to court in September.
Alan Dershowitz says that the prosecutor in the Freddie Gray case acted irresponsibly and was politically motivated. “They usually investigate more thoroughly, and so I think that the loss of some of these cases may be in fact the fact that it was not investigated thoroughly”. Gray was handcuffed and shackled but not restrained by a seat belt.
Prosecutors had argued that Nero and colleague Garrett Miller illegally detained and arrested Gray without probable cause, and that Nero was reckless when he failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt during the van’s second stop blocks from the arrest. But the judge said that Nero was not involved in the arrest, so the question of whether it was improper was irrelevant.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 President Gene Ryan said in a statement Monday that Nero’s relief is tempered by the fact that five other officers await trial. “Officer Nero’s father is with us next”. He said he never trained Nero on prisoner transport policies even though it was required.
“Judge trials of police officers nearly always result in not guilty verdicts because defense lawyers know that judges will credit the danger of a police officer’s job on the reasonable doubt scale”, said James A. Cohen, a professor at Fordham University School of Law in New York City.
Zayon says the state rushed to charge Nero. Once Gray was apprehended, witnesses gave accounts of officers “folding” his body in painful-looking positions, with one officer putting his knee in Gray’s back, severely damaging his spine.
“That’s where the system failed Freddie”.
Watch the entire interview below via Fox News.
Davis added that the department is also updating its use of force policy for the first time since 2003.
Officer Edward Nero is the second officer to stand trial.
Advertisement
“It will not be possible”, he said.
