BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Baltimore's chief prosecutor charged one police officer with murder on Friday and five others with lesser crimes in the death of a young black man who suffered a critical neck injury in the back of a police van, a case that fueled new anger over police conduct in black communities.
The swift decision by Marilyn Mosby, who has been in the
position only since January, to charge the six officers in the death of
Freddie Gray caught many by surprise in a city that experienced its
worst civil unrest in decades on Monday night.
Mosby made her announcement hours after the Maryland state
medical examiner had ruled the death a homicide and a day after police
handed her office the findings of its internal review of Gray's April 12
arrest.
Caesar
R. Goodson Jr., a black officer who drove the police van, was charged
with second-degree murder, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of
30 years in prison.
All six officers - three black
and three white, five men and one woman - posted bond after their arrest
Friday and were released from custody. Their union rose to their
defense.
"We are
disappointed in the apparent rush to judgment given the fact the
investigation into this matter has not been concluded," said Gene Ryan,
president of the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police.
Mosby, a 35-year-old African American, whose family includes
generations of law enforcement officers, rejected the union's call for a
special prosecutor.
After a convulsive week, thousands of demonstrators marched
through the majority black city on Friday evening, with many believing
their mostly peaceful protests over two weeks had prompted Mosby's
decision.
"It
was the people, it was the people out in the streets that made this
happen," said Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, a civil rights activist.
Rioters burned buildings and looted stores in Baltimore on
Monday night after Gray's funeral, 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, Missouri, New York and elsewhere.
"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," Mosby said at a news conference that quickly changed the tone in
the city.
Gray's family was shocked, said attorney William H. "Billy" Murphy,
noting "it was a good shock that justice had been approached in this
forthright and courageous manner by this prosecutor."
CURFEW REMAINS IN FORCE
Officers cuffed Gray's hands behind his back and shackled
his legs but did not secure him with a seatbelt while the van was
moving, a violation of police department policy, Mosby said. Then, with
"depraved indifference," officers ignored Gray's repeated pleas for
medical attention, she said.
While the
charges brought joy and relief to the city of 620,000, residents
cautioned that they needed to see justice served, not only in Baltimore
but in other poor communities where young black men believe they are
targeted by police.
While touring the city to assess the impact of the unrest,
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he does not recommend the city lift
its curfew just yet.
"We're still expecting quite a bit of activity tonight and
tomorrow," Hogan told Reuters. "Hopefully, we'll get back to normal in a
couple of days."
Police arrested at least several protesters who defied the curfew.
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.
Apart from
the one murder charge, the officers faced charges ranging from
manslaughter to assault and misconduct in office, which carry potential
prison terms of between three and 10 years.
Goodson also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter,
as do three others: Sgt. Alicia D. White, Officer William G. Porter and
Lt. Brian Rice. All six, including Officer Edward M. Nero and Officer
Garrett E. Miller, face lesser charges.
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," 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."The incident that has commanded national attention began on April 12, when officers on bicycles made eye contact with Gray in a high-crime neighborhood, police said. The man immediately fled with the officers in pursuit.
The prosecutor said Gray's arrest was illegal. Officers had said that he was carrying a switchblade knife in violation of the law, but she said it was in fact a folding knife that was legal to carry.
Mosby said the fatal injury occurred after the van stopped to allow officers to shackle Gray's legs and put him back inside. Officers failed to secure Gray in seat restraints at every stage of the ride, she 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," said Mosby.
Gray was no longer breathing when he was finally removed from the van, Mosby said.
(Additional reporting by Laila Kearney and Barbara
Goldberg in New York, Colleen Jenkins in North Carolina, and Dan
Whitcomb in Los Angeles
