His death led to widespread unrest in the city, including some rioting, and the National Guard was called in to help restore order. From what we know, there was a small band of protesters kind of arching around the courthouse in City Hall.
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Officer William Porter remains suspended without pay, Davis said.
Porter was also charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Prosecutors meant to call Porter to testify against Goodson and another officer whose trial is slated to begin after Goodson’s.
A demonstrator is arrested outside of the courthouse after a mistrial of Officer William Porter, one …
Gray’s stepfather said at a news conference Wednesday that the family isn’t upset by the mistrial, and looked forward to 12 fresh jurors being given a new chance to evaluate the case.
Gray was black. Porter is also black, as are two of the other five officers charged. The hung jury reflects a deep divide among Baltimore residents about the officer’s culpability and suggests that a fair trial in the city might not be possible, said Steve Levin, a city defense attorney and former federal prosecutor. The jury sent a note to the judge that they were deadlocked. The jurors said they were at an impasse on every charge.
During his closing arguments, defense attorney William Murtha said the prosecution’s case was full of holes, and that the law requires them to reach a verdict based on the “standard of a reasonable police officer”. The judge told the jurors they had “clearly been diligent” before he dismissed them.
A demonstrator protest outside of the courthouse after a mistrial was declared in the manslaughter t …
He was the first of six officers to stand trial on charges stemming from Gray’s arrest and death. Baltimore sheriff’s deputies put Kwame Rose’s arms behind his back and marched him into the courthouse.
“We are going to fight for justice until it becomes a reality in our lives”.
Baltimore’s Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appealed for calm following the announcement.
“If some choose to demonstrate peacefully to express their opinion, that is their constitutional right”.
The Baltimore NAACP asked people to control their “frustration and anger” and respect “the rights of all people respected, on all sides”.
Because of a gag order on all cases related to Freddie Gray, prosecutors declined to comment on plans for a retrial.
Gray died in April from a severe spinal injury suffered while in custody after being arrested when he ran from police. Prosecutors say Porter, one of three black officers charged in the case, was summoned by the van’s driver to check on Gray during stops on the way to a police station. Prosecutors had planned to use Porter’s testimony against two of his fellow officers.
It wasn’t clear how the mistrial would affect the other officers.
Prosecutors argued Porter ignored Gray’s pleas for medical help and that Porter, who was driving the police transport van, went against department policy by not securing Gray properly in the back of the vehicle.
The streets of Baltimore were calm overnight Wednesday as activists urged peace and healing after the announcement of a mistrial in the trial of police officer William Porter.
The defense said Porter went beyond the call of duty when he moved Gray to a seated position at one point, and told the van driver and a supervisor that Gray had said “yes” when asked if he needed to go to a hospital. In August, a North Carolina jury deadlocked in the trial of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Randall Kerrick. Majority are re-prosecuted.
Warren Brown, a Baltimore defense lawyer who was in the courtroom, said he was not surprised by Wednesday’s decision.
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Contributors include Brian Witte in Baltimore and Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware.
