Charges Dropped Against Baltimore Officers Connected To Freddie Gray’s Death
Six officers were brought up on charges related to the April 2015 murder of Freddie Gray. Following a mistrial in December and multiple acquittals in May, June and July, prosecutors have decided to drop all charges for the remaining officers, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The announcement was made this Wednesday during a pretrial hearing for Officer Garrett Miller.
The decision was likely made due to the quickly decreasing likelihood that anyone would be convicted of a crime. Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who has presided over all of the trials so far, was also expected to preside over the remaining trials for Officer Miller, Officer William Porter and Sgt. Alicia White.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who surely had a career defining moment when she announced that the officers were being charged, has been sued by two of the officers and even been the target of death threats as a result. She is expected to give a statement on the decision later on this morning.
[Related: Has Marilyn Mosby thrown away justice for Freddie Gray?]
Gray died a week after sustaining spinal cord injuries from being placed in the back of a police van with no seat belt. The city of Baltimore soon responded with public protests and riots and propelled the story into the national discussion as one of the most high profile cases in Baltimore history.
While the mistrial and back-to-back-to-back acquittals were hard enough to deal with, but the sudden decision to drop all charges may come as a complete shock to many who feel that Gray was intentionally injured by the same officers he asked for help. However, it appears that the Baltimore Circuit Court system, Judge Williams and many other feel that they were acting within the reasonably justification of their jobs.
Apparently no one’s responsible for Gray’s death even though medical examiner’s classified it as a homicide. This is yet another example of why Black Lives Matter activists and organizers have called for dismantling of the police system altogether.
Photo: BYP