William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged…
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Jury selection began in Baltimore on Monday for the trial of a police officer facing multiple charges in the April death of Freddie Gray, which set off massive protests and led to a state of emergency being declared in the city.
Porter, who is also black, is accused of failing to get medical help for Gray during several stops made by the police van that carried Gray on a 45-minute trip.
An investigation by Mosby’s office found Gray was not buckled into the police wagon per Baltimore Police Department regulations. He died in a hospital a week later after undergoing spinal surgery. They will be tried separately and prosecutors hope to use Mr Porter as a witness in the other trials. The city-wide curfews and the civil settlement with Gray’s family were also specifically mentioned during the jury selection process, which may take anywhere between three hours and three days to complete. Prosecutors have indicated in court filings that they consider Porter a potential witness against some of the other officers.
Trial will begin with jury selection.
The case has again galvanized protesters, who showed up outside the courthouse and could be heard yelling even from inside the courtroom.
“The broad sentiment is that people want to see convictions out of this trial and they fear there will be more unrest if that doesn’t pan out”, NPR reported. “Everything is at stake”.
Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said there may be more unrest based upon what happens in court, telling WJZ: “The future of the city is at stake”.
The community is expected to watch this case closely, and the local NAACP chapter plans to have a “court watcher” in attendance throughout the trial, which the judge said would likely not go past December 17.
Roughly 75 prospective jurors were called into a Baltimore courtroom on Monday morning, and Circuit Judge Barry Williams began questioning the group.
Jabari R. Dean, 21, of Chicago, threatened to kill 16 white male students or staff at the school on Chicago’s South Side, according to the criminal complaint. CNN affiliate WJZ reports that she tried to commit suicide in October and is now undergoing psychiatric evaluation. Porter was called for backup after the young man was arrested and placed in handcuffs and leg irons in a police van, NPR reported.
Porter is one of three Black defendants charged in connection with Gray’s death. The remaining trials will resume in January and are expected to continue until Spring.
“You know, so he was always, always, like, banging around”, Porter said in the statement excerpted in the filing.
According to The Sun, Porter told Goodson that Gray needed medical help.
“To the youth of the city: I will seek justice on your behalf”, the prosecutor said then. Porter said in an interview with The Washington Post that Gray was known to officers as a “frequent flyer” with several arrests dating back to his teens.
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Davis stepped in as police chief in July amid a crime spike that saw 45 homicides in a single month – a 43-year high. Its president called for Batts to “step up”. He said his administration’s security team has been meeting on an nearly weekly basis.
