Jury selection begins in first Freddie Gray trial
Jury selection began Monday in the first high-stakes trial for Baltimore police officers involved in the April arrest of Freddie Gray, a young black man whose death set off a series of sometimes violent protests that tore “Charm City” apart.
The attorney for Gray's family said he expected that a jury would be seated by Wednesday.
The jury selection process for officer William Porter is crucial because it could determine whether it is possible to select impartial juries in the city for each of six officers charged in connection with Gray’s death. Lawyers for the officers have said it’s not possible; Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams decided to try.
Williams conducted initial questioning in a courtroom but planned to interview 66 prospective jurors in a private conference room, the Associated Press reported. The judge asked 75 potential jurors on Monday whether anyone had not heard about the case, the citywide curfew imposed after Gray’s death or the $6.4 million settlement paid to his family. No one responded, but 12 jurors said they had family members in law enforcement. Thirty-seven said they had been a victim or a suspect in a crime, had been to jail or had charges pending against them, AP reported.
Twenty-six people said they had strong feelings about the charges against Porter.
A small group of protesters gathered outside the courtroom, their chants of “All night, all day, we will fight for Freddie Gray,” audible throughout the proceedings.
Porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and assault in the death of Gray, who suffered a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody after his arrest April 12. Gray, 25, had been accused of carrying an illegal switchblade and was loaded unsecured in a police van. He died, apparently of injuries suffered in the van, one week later.
Protests that had been mostly peaceful then turned ugly, and rioting, looting and arson rocked the city. Baltimore’s police chief was later fired and “Justice for Freddie Gray” became a battle cry for demonstrators in the “Black Lives Matter” movement.