Officers dodge Gray death charges
UNITED STATES: The US Justice Department has decided not to bring civil rights charges against the officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray, whose 2015 death in police custody sparked riots and widespread anger in Baltimore.
The department yesterday said its investigation had found ‘‘insufficient evidence’’ to support charges in the case.
‘‘It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident, or even exercised bad judgment,’’ the department said.
The decision probably forecloses any chance that the officers involved in Gray’s high-profile death will face criminal conse- quences, though the news is not particularly surprising. After a mistrial and three acquittals, Baltimore’s top prosecutor had announced she was ending local authorities’ effort to prosecute the officers, because winning a conviction had proven too difficult.
An attorney for Gray’s family declined to comment.
Gray, 25, was arrested and placed in the back of a police van with his hands cuffed behind his back and his legs shackled. As he was being transported, he suffered a severe neck injury and lost consciousness. He died in hospital about a week later.
His death sparked violent protests in Baltimore, and Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby ultimately charged six officers involved in handling Gray with various state crimes. Meanwhile, the Justice Department launched its own criminal, civil rights investigation into Gray’s death, as well as a broader probe of possible systemic violations in the Baltimore Police Department.
Michael Davey, who represents Lieutenant Brian Rice, the highestranking officer involved in Gray’s arrest, said: ‘‘We’re very pleased that the Department of Justice has come to the conclusion they did.’’
Rice, along with Officers Caesar Goodson Jr, William Porter, Edward Nero and Garrett Miller and Sergeant Alicia White, were charged with various offences over Gray’s death, including manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment. Goodson, who drove the van, was the sole officer charged with murder.
In July, Mosby dropped criminal charges against White, Miller and Porter. Goodson, Rice and Nero were found not guilty after separate trials. Porter went to trial once, but the proceeding ended in a mistrial.
The Justice Department said it had conducted a comprehensive, independent investigation of the events, reviewing surveillance footage, witness interviews, medical reports and other materials.
The investigation included an assessment of whether Gray should have been arrested, whether Goodson gave Gray a ‘‘rough ride’’, and an analysis of officers’ failure to put a seatbelt on Gray.
The Justice Department announced in May that it would not bring charges against the police officers involved in the death of Alton Sterling, whose fatal shooting in Baton Rouge last summer was captured on a video that rocketed around social media.
More recently, the department closed without charges its investigation into the death of 19-year-old Michael Moore, who was fatally shot by an officer in Alabama in 2016.
The department is still probing the high-profile death of Eric Garner, who died in 2014 after he was taken to the ground by New York City police officers.
– Washington Post