“The justice system is supposed to be without bias for police officers, for African Americans, for everyone”.
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Gene Ryan, the head of the Baltimore police union, also welcomed the decision but said Mosby’s allegations of police interference were “outrageous”.
Prosecutors on Wednesday dropped all remaining charges against the three Baltimore police officers who were still awaiting trial in Freddie Gray’s death, blaming police for a biased investigation that failed to produce a single conviction.
The death of Gray in police custody touched off protests and riots in April 2015. Mosby’s office based its approach, in part, on what it hoped would be the cumulative momentum of convictions in earlier cases with less serious offenses, building toward stronger cases against the officers charged with the most serious crimes.
Thea ” som agency has reconfigured its police vans and fitted officers with body cameras.
Porter had been scheduled to be retried in September, and White had been scheduled to be tried in October.
At the trial for Lt. Brian Rice, the judge prevented prosecutors from using Rice’s training records as evidence. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby said that it is unlikely that convictions will be secured in the remaining cases after three other officials on more serious charges were also acquitted.
Davis says those same detectives investigated and criminally charged a Baltimore police officer who is presently on trial for attempted murder. The charges included second degree assault, reckless endangerment, and multiple counts of misconduct.
She said: “We do not believe Freddie Gray killed himself”.
Her actions, Batts said, have further harmed a criminal justice system in need of repairs.
“We could try this case 100 times, and cases just like it, and we would still end up with the same result”.
Mosby said the case showed “an inherent bias that is a direct result of when police police themselves”.
“Creating videos to disprove the state’s case without our knowledge, creating notes that were drafted after the case was launched to contradict the medical examiner’s conclusion”, she added.
All of the officers had pleaded not guilty.
While Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has not yet addressed the news and her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, has called on Mosby to “prosecute herself”, Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein expressed solidarity with those pursuing justice for Gray.
When Mosby first took on Gray’s case, some praised how swiftly she acted. But after his acquittal, there was virtually no chance that the other officers would receive a different verdict, Moskos said.
But through it all Ms Mosby did have unwavering support from Freddie Gray’s family, including his stepfather Richard Shipley.
CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said it is very hard to sue prosecutors, who have what is called absolute immunity.
“The state’s attorney simply could not accept the evidence that was presented”. “She had her own agenda”.
Charges against the last three police officers accused over the death of detainee Freddie Gray have been dropped. “I’m anti-police brutality”. “We know we’re not happy, but let’s not get angry”.
When police go to trial, they are convicted in only 33% of cases and incarcerated in 12% of cases, whereas the general public is convicted 68% of the time and incarcerated 38% of the time for cases that go to trial.
Bates said Mosby’s office declined assistance that was offered by the Maryland State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When the van reached a police station 30 to 45 minutes later, he was in a coma.
The announcement that charges were being dropped came at the start of pretrial motions for Garrett Miller, the next officer due to stand trial.
Attorney Ivan Bates, who represents Sgt. Alicia White, spoke on behalf of all of the officers and their attorneys. Porter’s case ended in mistrial in December 2015. At Wednesday’s hearing Miller’s defense attorneys planned to put prosecutors on the stand to probe whether there were improper communications.
The officers still face possible administrative discipline.
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Ryan said four of the six officers involved in the case are already back to work for the department, and he expects the other two to return as well.?
