A Baltimore police officer was charged with murder and five others with lesser charges in the death of 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray, who suffered a critical neck injury while riding inside a police van, the city's chief prosecutor, state's attorney Marilyn Mosby, said today.
The charges brought jubilation and relief to people on the streets of West Baltimore, the neighbourhood where people looted, burned cars and clashed with police on Monday night following Gray’s funeral.
“I am shocked that they were charged but I am happy they were charged,” said James Crump (46), a medical technician.
“People are happy and celebrating, and it’s not even New Year’s Eve.”
Baltimore endured a night of rioting on Monday, and protests spread to other major cities in a reprise of demonstrations set off by police killings last year of unarmed black men in Ferguson, New York and elsewhere.
Freddie Gray, who died in hospital a week after his arrest on April 12th, was in handcuffs and shackles, but otherwise was not restrained inside the van, which was a violation of police department policy, Ms Mosby said at a news conference.
The state’s attorney said that the Maryland state medical examiner had ruled Gray’s death a homicide.
The officer charged with murder was the driver of the vehicle.
Ms Mosby said the officers failed to give Gray the medical attention he asked for and that his arrest was unlawful.
“To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for ‘no justice, no peace’. Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.”
The decision to bring charges and the speed at which Ms Mosby made the announcement, a day after the police department handed over an internal report, seemed to catch Baltimore and the country by surprise.
After Ms Mosby’s speech, members of the Bloods, Crips and Black Guerrilla Family gangs stood at the centre of a Baltimore intersection holding up bandannas tied together to show unity. Gang members were part of a force of volunteer peacekeepers after Monday’s violence.
Officers arrested
Mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said five of the six officers were under arrest.
Charges against the six police officers range from second-degree “depraved heart” murder, to manslaughter, to assault and misconduct in office.
Officer Caesar R Goodson Jr, the driver of the police vehicle, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years if convicted on the murder count.
Other offences carry prison terms of between three and 10 years.
Mr Goodson also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter, as are three others: Sgt Alicia D White, Officer William G Porter and Lt Brian Rice.
All six face lesser charges, including Officer Edward M Nero and Officer Garrett E Miller.
In Ferguson and New York last year, grand juries decided against charging officers who were involved in the deaths of two unarmed black men. The news triggered rioting in the St Louis suburb and days of protest marches in New York and other cities.
Obama comment
President Barack Obama took the unusual step of commenting on charges in an open case, highlighting the importance that the issue of police conduct toward minority groups has assumed over the past year.
“It is absolutely vital that the truth comes out in what happened to Freddie Gray,” Mr Obama said.
“I think what the people in Baltimore want more than anything else is the truth. That’s what people in our country expect.”
Ms Mosby rejected a call by the union representing the officers for the appointment of a special prosecutor.
In an open letter, the Fraternal Order of Police, Baltimore City Lodge No 3, said Ms Mosby had conflicts of interest because she is married to a city councilman with political aspirations and knows the Gray family’s lawyer.
The union said the officers were only doing their jobs and were not responsible for Gray’s death.
Ms Mosby said the fatal injury occurred after the van stopped to allow officers to remove Gray, shackle his legs and put him back inside, one of four stops between the arrest and the van’s arrival at the booking centre.
The state’s attorney said officers failed to secure Gray in seat restraints at every stage of the ride.
Ms Mosby said: "Mr Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon."
She also noted that Gray was no longer breathing when he was finally removed from the van and that his arrest was illegal.
Officers had said that he was carrying a switchblade knife, in violation of the law, but the prosecutor said it was in fact a folding knife that was legal to carry.
Ms Mosby said her office had been conducting a parallel investigation while awaiting the findings of the internal police probe.
Representatives of Gray’s family were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters