Williams declared a mistrial in the trial of William Porter, the first of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
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Prosecutors contend that Porter was criminally negligent in ignoring Gray’s pleas for medical aid and in failing to secure him in the van. Judge Barry G. Williams did not specify the issues that led the deadlock of the 12-member jury.
The judge scheduled conferences Thursday to “discuss a new trial date”, indicating that he expects prosecutors to try Porter again.
A Baltimore judge says there is a hung jury in the case of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said police are out on the streets to serve as peacekeepers.
Gray’s death lit the fuse that created more Black Lives Matter protests in Baltimore.
Gray died in April from injuries suffered after Baltimore police left him unbuckled but shackled in the back of a police van during a ride to a booking station, sparking turbulent protests throughout the city. She said city residents must respect the outcome of the judicial process and respect Baltimore neighborhoods.
“The community has an expectation for us to be prepared for a variety of scenarios”, he said. We will protect our residents.
She said the city can not be defined by what happened following Gray’s death. “It’s not the last time we’ll talk about it. And I think we just have to be consistent, measured and thoughtful as we go forward”. “You lose the ability to call yourself a protester when you hurt people and destroy property”.
“We pledge to this city, both our police department and our fire department, our pledge to the folks in Baltimore is one of public safety”.
Porter was at five of six stops, authorities say.
On Tuesday, Porter’s attorneys moved, unsuccessfully, for a mistrial and change of venue based on a letter sent home to parents of city school students on Monday that referred to the possibility of unrest and violence following the verdict in the case.
In June, a SC jury couldn’t reach a verdict in the retrial of former Eutawville Police Chief Richard Combs, who is white. “They did the best that they could”, Shipley said. The defense also argued that he should not be held responsible for the death because he never came into contact with Gray during his arrest.
“This is our American system of justice”, Rawlings-Blake said in a statement posted on her official Twitter account.
His lawyers have said Porter acted as any reasonable officer would have.
Meanwhile, Gray’s family has urged calm.
Attorney Billy Murphy, who obtained a $6.4 million settlement for Gray’s family from the city before Porter’s trial, called the mistrial “a temporary bump on the road to justice”. They pushed back a group of a few dozen protesters and arrested at least two people, one of whom appeared to swing at an officer.
Shortly after the jury let out, protesters began to gather outside Courthouse East. Kwame Rose, who was marched by sheriff’s deputies into the courthouse, had called the mistrial an “injustice”. In the wake of the announcement, protesters took to the Baltimore streets.
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Tessa Hill-Aston is president of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP. The judge declined, and also denied requests for transcripts of trial testimony, leaving jurors to refer to their own recollections and notes.
