Prosecutors Charge 6 Baltimore Officers in Freddie Gray Death

[Jazzy]

Baltimore’s chief prosecutor charged six police officers on Friday with crimes including murder and manslaughter in the arrest and fatal injury of Freddie Gray, a striking and surprisingly swift turn in a case that has drawn national attention to police conduct.

The state’s attorney for Baltimore, Marilyn J. Mosby, filed the charges almost as soon as she received a medical examiner’s report Friday that ruled Mr. Gray’s death a homicide, and a day after the police concluded their initial investigation and handed her their findings. Officials had cautioned that it could take considerable time for her office to complete its own investigation and decide whether to prosecute.

Ms. Mosby said that Mr. Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury on April 12 while being transported in a police van — and not earlier, while being arrested — and pointed to the failure of the police to put a seatbelt on him as a crucial factor. “Mr. Gray suffered a critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside the BPD wagon,” she said, referring to the police van.

Despite repeated stops to check on his condition, the van driver and other officers never belted him in, she said, at times leaving him facedown on the van floor with his hands behind him.

Mr. Gray’s condition deteriorated, she said, as officers repeatedly ignored his pleas for medical attention and ignored obvious signs that he was in distress. At one point, she said, when an officer attempted to check on him, he was completely unresponsive — yet no action was taken. He died of his injuries a week later.

The prosecutor also said that the officers who initially arrested Mr. Gray had done so illegally, without probable cause.

Ms. Mosby did not allege that the van driver, Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr., intentionally gave Mr. Gray a “rough ride,” to slam him against the metal walls of the van. But Officer Goodson was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office.

Lt. Brian W. Rice was charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment. Officer William G. Porter and Sgt. Alicia D. White were each charged with manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office. Officers Edward M. Nero and Garrett E. Miller were charged with assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

Full article

Thoughts?

 

[mrldii]

Good.

It appears the autopsy - which to the best of my knowledge has NOT yet been released in full, yet - turned up something(s), in addition to what Ms. Mosby has mentioned.

Charging them IS part of the necessary due-process of law; it's the first step in assuring all parts of due-process can occur.

 

[Dee]

Good.

It appears the autopsy - which to the best of my knowledge has NOT yet been released in full, yet - turned up something(s), in addition to what Ms. Mosby has mentioned.

Charging them IS part of the necessary due-process of law; it's the first step in assuring all parts of due-process can occur.

Cannot second that GOOD comment enough. And I'm not just saying that because I think all cops are crooked liars. I don't. I just think there was an overwhelming amount of evidence here that points to obvious negligence, which is essentially what one of the cops is being charged with:

Specific charges:

Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr.: Second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, manslaughter by vehicle, misconduct in office.

Officer William G. Porter: Involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office.

Lt. Brian W. Rice: Involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Officer Edward M. Nero: Second-degree assault, misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Officer Garrett Miller: Second-degree assault, misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Sgt. Alicia D. White: Manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office.

Depraved Heart Murder Definition:
Where an individual under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby caused the death of another person.

I am very glad to see the state's attorney actually doing something in a case like this. She is relatively new on the job and even declared to hold police accountable for any negligent or voluntary actions exceeding their authority. I can't imagine the kind of backlash she'll face if this goes through and they're all charged and punished for what they did, but this needs to happen. It needs to happen because no one is above the law, and someone needs to be made an example of for future reference. Unnecessary police brutality will not go away anytime soon. However, it can be thwarted if officers know they are going to have more accountability for their actions.

Source

 

[mrldii]

WOW. That "Depraved Heart Murder" definition is tough. That's about as close to charging - and perhaps convicting - someone with "Simply Being an All-Round Disgusting Excuse for a Human Being" as I've ever heard/read.

Personally, I believe I'd be more ashamed of THIS charge than of any of the other ones. But, then again, I guess if someone truly IS guilty of the charge, they wouldn't give a flying-fuck about it...as that IS part of the definition.

 

[michonne]

 

[Webster]

....oh, look: the Baltimore State's Attorney might've charged two people by mistake...

(RedState) If you really want to understand Baltimore, you need to watch the television series The Wire. Failing that you should watch David Simon’s previous Baltimore-centric series, Homicide: Life on the Streets. In both you will encounter corruption, incompetence, and ineptness that will make you scream. Keep in mind, virtually everything you see on those shows comes from the actual experience of Baltimore police officers who were technical advisers.

Case in point: When charges were announced Friday against Alicia White for the death of Freddie Gray, her phone started buzzing from journalists and bail bondsmen.

The problem was, they were calling the wrong Alicia White. The elementary school cafeteria manager from East Baltimore was not the Baltimore Police sergeant charged with manslaughter in the high-profile police custody death – even though court records listed her.

The Sun was among those who contacted the other White on Friday based on the information in court records, seeking comment from her or her family. “The middle initial was off. Her address, her height, her weight, her driver’s license number – all of the information was my client’s information,” said Jeremy Eldridge, an attorney who says he has been hired by the resident. “Her life has been a living hell the past four days,” he said.

An attorney for Lt. Brian Rice said his client’s information was also entered incorrectly when prosecutors filed charges, but declined further comment. On Friday evening, Tammy and Brian Rice of Brunswick, Md. said they were receiving multiple calls from reporters looking for the lieutenant. Brian Rice of Brunswick is a plumber, they said.

That’s right. In what will be the most highly visible prosecution of her career, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby has charged at least two of the people for the killing of Freddie Gray who are actually the wrong people. No rush to judgment here.

The sad truth is that the real Baltimore is even more incompetent and corrupt than the fictional Baltimore.

 

[Mercedes01]

Well if they don't do time I presume all of America will be rioting.

I have never witnessed so many coppers getting away with so much shit
as I witness in America.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

....oh, look: the Baltimore State's Attorney might've charged two people by mistake...

No! A democrat run city since the 1960s with rampant corruption falsely accusing cops of wrong doing to make a city full of rioting thugs happy with appeasements. Never happen! Then put out this absolute false narrative that cops are just going all crazy like on citizens in VAST numbers, and who cares if forwarding that lie is true or not. Gotta keep the low information voters happy there. And while they are at it throw those people a bone of some tax payer freebies with there recently acquired looted items they received during the rioting.

 

[Dee]

Well if they don't do time I presume all of America will be rioting.

I have never witnessed so many coppers getting away with so much shit
as I witness in America.

You're right about that. The system is corrupt and rampant in many places in this country. Not every cop is crooked, but there's an awful lot of things that get overlooked, swept under the rug, and ignored. And unfortunately that creates a lot of problems for the good cops who follow the law and do their best to actually try to make a difference.

 

[Webster]

Well if they don't do time I presume all of America will be rioting.

I have never witnessed so many coppers getting away with so much shit
as I witness in America.

*deadpans* ...welcome to America, where former LAPD Chief William Parker's words still ring true after 5 decades...when asked about why it was so hard to stop acts of police brutality from occurring, he said:

We'll always have cases like this because we have one big problem in selecting police officers...we have to recruit from the human race.

 

[Dee]

*deadpans* ...welcome to America, where former LAPD Chief William Parker's words still ring true after 5 decades...when asked about why it was so hard to stop acts of police brutality from occurring, he said:

That doesn't mean they can't still be disciplined and/or at the very least taught and retrained to deal with very difficult situations in the healthiest and best way possible. It's why a lot of police departments really need to team up with mental health resources not just for the people they have to come into contact with, but also for themselves. No one is going to be perfect, obviously, but that doesn't' mean we can't strive to be better. And it sure as hell doesn't mean we can't ask the people being put in a position of authority to become better.

 

[Webster]

That doesn't mean they can't still be disciplined and/or at the very least taught and retrained to deal with very difficult situations in the healthiest and best way possible. It's why a lot of police departments really need to team up with mental health resources not just for the people they have to come into contact with, but also for themselves. No one is going to be perfect, obviously, but that doesn't' mean we can't strive to be better. And it sure as hell doesn't mean we can't ask the people being put in a position of authority to become better.

First off, you forgot Parker's quote above...here, I'll repeat it:

We'll always have cases like this because we have one big problem in selecting police officers...we have to recruit from the human race.

...and, for the record, no one's asking for perfection, but what we should be asking is that the cops on the ground be allowed to do their damn jobs without any backseat moderation from a general populace that wouldn't know what law-enforcement goes through unless it bit them in the ...but by all means, Dee, let's get them more mental-health assistance; if we're lucky, we'll have them singing the Hill Street Blues inside of a month.

 

[Dee]

First off, you forgot Parker's quote above...here, I'll repeat it:
...and, for the record, no one's asking for perfection, but what we should be asking is that the cops on the ground be allowed to do their damn jobs without any backseat moderation from a general populace that wouldn't know what law-enforcement goes through unless it bit them in the ...but by all means, Dee, let's get them more mental-health assistance; if we're lucky, we'll have them singing the Hill Street Blues inside of a month.

If you think that's what I meant then you're a jackass and you deserve to live the rest of your life in this utter ignorance you choose to walk around in. That certainly is not my problem. All I said was that both the general populace and police officers could be better. What's wrong with that? I'm not asking for perfection. Perfection doesn't exist. I get that there will be times when mistakes are made. I get that these men and women are in high-stress situations, which often leads to over reactions or even very calm and cool, deliberate reactions. I am not an idiot, thank you, as I have family in law enforcement and friends who have been in similar stressful jobs. I don't need to be a police officer to at least have some sort of idea of what they go through (of course, I would never in a million years claim to be an expert on the situation). But I do know there are many police authorities this country that could definitely work on cleaning up their acts and utilizing resources (not just mental health) that would help them do their jobs better, and many authorities who have confessed to the matter, so I'm not simply pulling unreasonable suggestions out of my ass here.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Surprise, surprise! On the news they are now saying it looks like this guy was not arrested for no reason as first claimed. But instead was carrying a illegal knife that city does not allow. Nothing definite on this new news yet but I am sure this will play out soon. But looks like they rushed there case to stop the riots.

 

[+paradox]

Surprise, surprise! On the news they are now saying it looks like this guy was not arrested for no reason as first claimed. But instead was carrying a illegal knife that city does not allow. Nothing definite on this new news yet but I am sure this will play out soon. But looks like they rushed there case to stop the riots.

right, and then next week the cops will say that sprinkled crack was found on him too...

and him being arrested for having a knife would make any difference how again?

 

[mrldii]

Interesting. The cops now come fully equipped with x-ray vision, but very few have body cams.


Hmmmm.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

They don't need to have e-ray vision when video shows he was clearly running from cops in the first place.

 

[mrldii]

"Running from the cops" suggests someone's done something wrong. I did not realize that the punishment for carrying an illegal knife is



on-the-spot execution of the death penalty.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

"Running from the cops" suggests someone's done something wrong. I did not realize that the punishment for carrying an illegal knife is



on-the-spot execution of the death penalty.

There was a chase.

He was caught.

He was handcuffed.

He was put in the van.

So whatever happened was in the van. No instant death. Just saying they lied about why he was arrested and don't trust there charges.

 

[+paradox]

exactly, they lied, so why are you so sure that the cops didn't murder him and tried to cover it up like how cops do it all the time... haven't you noticed yet that government and cops lie and cover up things? news flash...

the charges are justified...