Justice

BREAKING: Police Will Face Homicide Charges for Death of Freddie Gray

May 1st 2015

Six Baltimore police officers will face criminal charges in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died in police custody last month. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby made the announcement at a press conference Friday morning.

What are the charges?

During the news conference, Mosby said that her office has probable cause to file charges for homicide, manslaughter, assault, and police misconduct. The New York Times' Alan Blinder tweeted a full list of the charges -- with the most serious being a second-degree murder charge against Officer Caesar Goodson Jr:

What happened to Gray?

According to Mosby, police mistreatment on April 12 led to Gray's eventual death on April 19. He was arrested improperly, put into restraints, and then transported in a van without being secured with a seatbelt. Police also violated procedure by not getting him medical attention after he was injured during the ride. A report yesterday said that Gray sustained a head injury that seemed to match a bolt in the van.

Gray's death was caused by a spinal injury. Mosby said that Gray was not breathing when he was removed from the van.

Before the arrest, officers chased Gray and another man for several blocks. When they caught Gray, he was pinned to the ground and searched. Police initially said that they found a knife on Gray and that he was arrested under suspicion of a weapons violation. However, according to Mosby, the knife was legal and, even worse for the officers involved, they did not find the knife until after the chase and the arrest. This means it's unclear what gave rise to the confrontation and chase in the first place.

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