In news that shows that justice does not exist...
Most Senior Police Officer In Freddie Gray Case Is Found Not Guilty Of Manslaughter
Lt. Brian Rice (second from left) was acquitted Monday in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. Rice is seen here arriving at the courthouse for opening statements in his trial in Baltimore on July 7.
----------------
A Baltimore judge has found Lt. Brian Rice, the fourth of six Baltimore police officers to go on trial in the death of Freddie Gray last year, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. That's the most serious charge Rice had faced; he was also cleared of lesser charges.
Two other officers charged after Gray died in police custody in April 2015 have been acquitted in bench trials. A third officer, who was actually the first to go on trial, saw a mistrial declared in December after the jury couldn't reach a verdict. That officer is set to be re-tried later this year.
Rice's bench trial was heard by Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who also heard the other three cases. In addition to the manslaughter charge, Williams acquitted Rice of misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
As The Two-Way reported earlier this month, Rice was identified as the police officer who began the pursuit of Gray. He's also the highest-ranking officer in the case against officers who are accused of recklessly endangering Gray by failing to secure him with a seat belt when he rode in the back of a police van. Gray died on April 19 of injuries that he sustained while in police custody - seven days after he was apprehended.
Rice could have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter, reports member station WYPR in Baltimore.
Defense attorney and legal analyst Warren Brown had predicted Rice would not be convicted of any of the charges. He told WYPR, "The crux of it is going to be that the judge is going to say that he is not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Lt. Rice acted unreasonably at stop two in not belting Freddie Gray in."
SOURCE 1.
------------------------------------
OP: The second article is a bit older, but provides details of the events leading to Freddie Gray's death.
------------------------------------
Freddie Gray's death in police custody - what we know
A police officer has been acquitted in relation to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in hospital from spinal injuries a week after police took him into custody. But what happened the day of his arrest in Baltimore?
THE ARREST
Mobile phone video from a bystander shows Gray's arrest on 12 April around 08:40 local time (13:40 BST), on Presbury Street in the Sandtown neighbourhood of the city.
Two men in yellow uniforms with "Baltimore Police" labels are seen pinning the black man to the ground.
A court document says that Gray had "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence". It also said that Gray "was arrested without force or incident".
But state prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said that Gray was illegally arrested, assaulted and falsely accused of carrying an illegal switchblade.
An officer said that he had found it clipped inside Gray's trouser pocket after he had been detained.
Ms Mosby said that it was actually a legal knife and therefore did not justify arrest.
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has also stated that it is not clear why Gray was stopped by the officers as there "is no law against running".
Billy Murphy, a lawyer hired by the Gray family agrees. "Running while black is not probable cause," he said.
THE POLICE VAN
An informal memorial appeared near the police station.
-----------------
In the mobile phone video, Gray can be heard screaming repeatedly before a police van arrives to take him away.
Ms Mosby said his arms had been handcuffed behind his back and that his requests for his inhaler had been ignored.
Police officers had also put him into a tactical hold before putting him in the back of the van, she said.
Police officials have said that Gray should have received medical attention before he was put inside the van.
While the van was en route to the police station, officers put Gray in leg irons after an officer determined that he became "irate".
Ms Mosby has said that the officers had then loaded him "on his stomach head first into the wagon."
Gray was not restrained with a seat belt, which is a violation of police department policy.
The officers later failed to get medical help even though Gray requested it repeatedly, Ms Mosby said.
The officers then stopped to pick up another suspect in a separate case while on the way to the police station.
Ms Mosby called the stop "grossly negligent". She said that Gray had asked for medical help and complained of trouble breathing.
Police timeline of the arrest
§ Sunday, 12 April, 0839: Officers approach Gray and he flees on foot
§ 0840: Gray arrested on corner of Presbury Street, Sandtown
§ 0842: Police request a van
§ 0854: Van departs with Gray inside, conscious and speaking
§ 0854-0924: Van makes a total of four stops between arrest and police station arrival
§ 0924: Police request paramedics to take Gray to hospital
------------------
THE INJURIES
Officer Miller's document says that Gray "suffered a medical emergency" while he was being transported and that he was "immediately transported to Shock Trauma via medic".
He arrived in a critical condition.
Briefing the media on the results of an autopsy on Monday, Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said Gray "did suffer a very tragic injury to his spinal cord which resulted in his death".
Mr Murphy said that Gray's "spine was 80% severed at his neck".
Police officer in Sandtown.
---------------------
The other suspect in the van was on another side of a metal barrier preventing him from seeing or making contact with Gray, Mr Rodriguez said.
"I know that when Mr Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk, he was upset," Mr Rodriguez said. "And when Mr Gray was taken out of that van he could not talk and he could not breathe."
Gray's family told the Baltimore Sun newspaper that doctors at a local hospital performed surgeries to treat three broken vertebrae and an injured voice box. He was comatose until his death on Sunday.
The paper reported on Tuesday that "significant force" would be required to inflict those injuries. It said, citing medical experts, that the force would be similar to that of "the impact from a car accident".
THE FALLOUT
Near-daily protests have taken place, and some have turned violent.
--------------
Demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest against excessive use of force. In early days, most of the protests were calm. Many carried banners, some of which read "Black lives matter" - an echo of similar protests around the country in recent months.
But a week after Gray died, and with police releasing little new information about the circumstances of his death, the demonstrations took a violent turn.
On 27 April, a funeral service for Gray was held. That afternoon and evening rioters tore through parts of Baltimore leaving a path of debris, burnt or smashed cars, and looted storefronts.
The National Guard was dispatched in an attempt to restore control and the mayor ordered a curfew between the hours of 2200 and 0500.
On 1 May the state prosecutor announced criminal charges against six police officers involved in the case.
The first trial's jury could not reach a verdict and the second officer on trial was acquitted.
SOURCE 2.
OP has no words because I just wouldn't be able to do justice to this level of horror and fuckery.
Lt. Brian Rice (second from left) was acquitted Monday in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. Rice is seen here arriving at the courthouse for opening statements in his trial in Baltimore on July 7.
----------------
A Baltimore judge has found Lt. Brian Rice, the fourth of six Baltimore police officers to go on trial in the death of Freddie Gray last year, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. That's the most serious charge Rice had faced; he was also cleared of lesser charges.
Two other officers charged after Gray died in police custody in April 2015 have been acquitted in bench trials. A third officer, who was actually the first to go on trial, saw a mistrial declared in December after the jury couldn't reach a verdict. That officer is set to be re-tried later this year.
Rice's bench trial was heard by Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who also heard the other three cases. In addition to the manslaughter charge, Williams acquitted Rice of misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
As The Two-Way reported earlier this month, Rice was identified as the police officer who began the pursuit of Gray. He's also the highest-ranking officer in the case against officers who are accused of recklessly endangering Gray by failing to secure him with a seat belt when he rode in the back of a police van. Gray died on April 19 of injuries that he sustained while in police custody - seven days after he was apprehended.
Rice could have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter, reports member station WYPR in Baltimore.
Defense attorney and legal analyst Warren Brown had predicted Rice would not be convicted of any of the charges. He told WYPR, "The crux of it is going to be that the judge is going to say that he is not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Lt. Rice acted unreasonably at stop two in not belting Freddie Gray in."
SOURCE 1.
------------------------------------
OP: The second article is a bit older, but provides details of the events leading to Freddie Gray's death.
------------------------------------
Freddie Gray's death in police custody - what we know
A police officer has been acquitted in relation to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in hospital from spinal injuries a week after police took him into custody. But what happened the day of his arrest in Baltimore?
THE ARREST
Mobile phone video from a bystander shows Gray's arrest on 12 April around 08:40 local time (13:40 BST), on Presbury Street in the Sandtown neighbourhood of the city.
Two men in yellow uniforms with "Baltimore Police" labels are seen pinning the black man to the ground.
A court document says that Gray had "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence". It also said that Gray "was arrested without force or incident".
But state prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said that Gray was illegally arrested, assaulted and falsely accused of carrying an illegal switchblade.
An officer said that he had found it clipped inside Gray's trouser pocket after he had been detained.
Ms Mosby said that it was actually a legal knife and therefore did not justify arrest.
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has also stated that it is not clear why Gray was stopped by the officers as there "is no law against running".
Billy Murphy, a lawyer hired by the Gray family agrees. "Running while black is not probable cause," he said.
THE POLICE VAN
An informal memorial appeared near the police station.
-----------------
In the mobile phone video, Gray can be heard screaming repeatedly before a police van arrives to take him away.
Ms Mosby said his arms had been handcuffed behind his back and that his requests for his inhaler had been ignored.
Police officers had also put him into a tactical hold before putting him in the back of the van, she said.
Police officials have said that Gray should have received medical attention before he was put inside the van.
While the van was en route to the police station, officers put Gray in leg irons after an officer determined that he became "irate".
Ms Mosby has said that the officers had then loaded him "on his stomach head first into the wagon."
Gray was not restrained with a seat belt, which is a violation of police department policy.
The officers later failed to get medical help even though Gray requested it repeatedly, Ms Mosby said.
The officers then stopped to pick up another suspect in a separate case while on the way to the police station.
Ms Mosby called the stop "grossly negligent". She said that Gray had asked for medical help and complained of trouble breathing.
Police timeline of the arrest
§ Sunday, 12 April, 0839: Officers approach Gray and he flees on foot
§ 0840: Gray arrested on corner of Presbury Street, Sandtown
§ 0842: Police request a van
§ 0854: Van departs with Gray inside, conscious and speaking
§ 0854-0924: Van makes a total of four stops between arrest and police station arrival
§ 0924: Police request paramedics to take Gray to hospital
------------------
THE INJURIES
Officer Miller's document says that Gray "suffered a medical emergency" while he was being transported and that he was "immediately transported to Shock Trauma via medic".
He arrived in a critical condition.
Briefing the media on the results of an autopsy on Monday, Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said Gray "did suffer a very tragic injury to his spinal cord which resulted in his death".
Mr Murphy said that Gray's "spine was 80% severed at his neck".
Police officer in Sandtown.
---------------------
The other suspect in the van was on another side of a metal barrier preventing him from seeing or making contact with Gray, Mr Rodriguez said.
"I know that when Mr Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk, he was upset," Mr Rodriguez said. "And when Mr Gray was taken out of that van he could not talk and he could not breathe."
Gray's family told the Baltimore Sun newspaper that doctors at a local hospital performed surgeries to treat three broken vertebrae and an injured voice box. He was comatose until his death on Sunday.
The paper reported on Tuesday that "significant force" would be required to inflict those injuries. It said, citing medical experts, that the force would be similar to that of "the impact from a car accident".
THE FALLOUT
Near-daily protests have taken place, and some have turned violent.
--------------
Demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest against excessive use of force. In early days, most of the protests were calm. Many carried banners, some of which read "Black lives matter" - an echo of similar protests around the country in recent months.
But a week after Gray died, and with police releasing little new information about the circumstances of his death, the demonstrations took a violent turn.
On 27 April, a funeral service for Gray was held. That afternoon and evening rioters tore through parts of Baltimore leaving a path of debris, burnt or smashed cars, and looted storefronts.
The National Guard was dispatched in an attempt to restore control and the mayor ordered a curfew between the hours of 2200 and 0500.
On 1 May the state prosecutor announced criminal charges against six police officers involved in the case.
The first trial's jury could not reach a verdict and the second officer on trial was acquitted.
SOURCE 2.
OP has no words because I just wouldn't be able to do justice to this level of horror and fuckery.