Baltimore officer cleared in Gray case

Death of man after van ride led to Baltimore riots

Prosecutors fail for the second time to hold Baltimore police accountable for the death of Freddie Gray when an officer is acquitted in the case that triggered riots.

BALTIMORE — Prosecutors failed for the second time in their bid to hold Baltimore police accountable for the arrest and death of Freddie Gray when an officer was acquitted Monday in the racially charged case that triggered riots a year ago.

A judge cleared Officer Edward Nero of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct, concluding that Nero played little role in Gray’s arrest and wasn’t responsible for the failure to buckle the black man into the police van where he suffered a broken neck.

Upon hearing the verdict, Nero hugged his attorney and appeared to wipe away a tear.

Nero, who is white, was the second of six officers charged in the case to stand trial. The manslaughter case against Officer William Porter ended in a mistrial in December when the jury deadlocked. Prosecutors plan to retry him in September.

Nero’s lawyers said he and his wife and family are “elated that this nightmare is finally over.”

“The state’s attorney for Baltimore City rushed to charge him, as well as the other five officers, completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law,” they said in a statement.

Prosecutors had no comment; they are under a gag order.

Trial No. 3 — that of van driver Caesar Goodson, who prosecutors believe is most culpable in Gray’s death — is set to begin in two weeks. He is charged with second-degree murder.

Gray died a week after suffering a spinal injury in the back of the van while he was handcuffed and shackled but not belted in.

His death set off looting and arson that prompted authorities to declare a citywide curfew and call out the National Guard to quell unrest in Baltimore for the first time since the 1968 riots over the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Gray’s name became a rallying cry in the furor over the deaths of black men in clashes with police.

Nero, 30, waived his right to a jury trial, choosing instead to let Circuit Judge Barry Williams decide his fate.

Nero remains on desk duty and still faces a departmental investigation that could result in disciplinary action.