Lieutenant Brian Rice, 42, was cleared following a trial today and is now the fourth of six officers tried over Gray’s death to walk free from court.
Advertisement
The president of Baltimore’s police union on Monday called the acquittal of a third police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray evidence that the other cases will end in a similar outcome, and urged the prosecutor to drop the charges. Rice, prosecutors said, climbed into the van with Gray but failed to secure him with a seat belt, which they said set in motion of chain of events that led to Gray’s death. Williams had acquitted Officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson Jr., both of whom were in court on Monday.
Rice was the fourth officer on trial for the death of Freddie Gray.
In order to convict Rice of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors had to prove that he acted in a grossly negligent manner and was aware of the risks to Gray but disregarded them.
Rice elected to proceed with a bench trial, in which a judge renders a verdict instead of a jury.
Rice, now acquitted, is the highest-ranking officer charges in the case. This countered the findings of assistant medical examiner Dr. Carol Allan, who determined that Gray’s death was a homicide. An assault charge was thrown out mid-trial.
“It is critical for this court not to base any decision on public opinion or emotion”, Judge Barry Williams explained on Monday. As in previous cases, Williams’ said the state failed to show Rice was aware of the possible risk of injury to Gray at the time the lieutenant decided not to seatbelt Gray. A jury couldn’t reach a verdict regarding officer William Porter’s involvement in this case.
Gray’s death in 2015 became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement, fueling outrage nationwide over the treatment of black people by the criminal justice system and prompting the worst rioting in the city in decades. Prosecutors dropped a second misconduct charge at the start of the trial. Gray was arrested on April 12, 2015 after he ran from officers after making eye contact with one of them.
Several days before his death, Freddie Gray was arrested after he was chased by police. Officer Porter was charged with manslaughter for neglecting to buckle Gray into the police van after his arrest, and neglecting to call an ambulance after Gray was injured. During closing arguments, he asked Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow to clarify whether the prosecution was claiming that the simple act of not restraining Gray in a seatbelt was a crime. They say police are not being held accountable for wrongdoing. He attributed her filing of charges against the six officers to an intent to appease the community.
Advertisement
But Rice’s lawyers argued he made a reasonable decision in a chaotic situation that involved Gray’s kicking inside the van and onlookers’ becoming angry. The lieutenant was the highest-ranking of the accused officers, and his full acquittal was the third consecutive loss for prosecutors.
