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Story highlights
- Six officers pay bail, online court records show
- Freddie Gray's stepfather says charges are important step toward justice
- Second prisoner in van tells CNN he never said Freddie Gray was trying to hurt himself
(CNN)Latest developments:
•
8:10 p.m. The six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray
have paid bail, according to online court records. Bail for Caesar
Goodson, Alicia White, William Porter and Brian Rice had been set at
$350,000 each. Edward Nero and Garrett Miller each had a bail of
$250,000.
• 6:48 p.m. Marches continue Friday night in Baltimore as hundreds trek past booking centers where the officers were processed.
•
5:09 p.m.: William Murphy, an attorney for the Gray family, says this
is the time to call for change in how police deal with suspects. "If
Freddie Gray is not to die in vain we must seize this opportunity to
reform police departments throughout this country."
Full story:
Six
Baltimore police officers will face charges in the death of Freddie
Gray, the city's prosecutor said Friday in an unexpected announcement
that brought cheers from protesters and words of protest from the police
union.
The announcement by Bsaltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby
left no doubt about what she thinks happened April 12, when Gray was
arrested: The 25-year-old died, she said, after suffering "a severe and
critical neck injury" while being transported "handcuffed, shackled by
his feet and unrestrained" inside a police van. It is against police
policy to transport a prisoner without proper restraints such as a seat
belt.
But the city's police union insisted that none of the officers was responsible for Gray's death.
"To
the contrary, at all times, each of the officers diligently balanced
their obligations to protect Mr. Gray and discharge their duties to
protect the public," wrote Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police
President Gene Ryan.
The driver of the
van, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. received the most serious charge:
second-degree depraved-heart murder, among other accusations --
including manslaughter by vehicle.
Charges
against the other officers varied. All are accused of misconduct and
second-degree assault. Three are charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The
six have a preliminary hearing on May 27, according to court documents
available on the state of Maryland's Judiciary Case Search website.
Baltimore mayor: 'There will be justice' 01:36
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urged Police Commissioner Anthony Batts to immediately suspend all officers facing charges.
"There
will be justice for Mr. Gray, there will be justice for his family, and
there will be justice for the city of Baltimore," she said.
The
police union called for an independent prosecutor, saying Mosby has
conflicts of interests. They also criticized her for not waiting until
police were done with their inquiry.
"Let
me begin by stating how appalled and frustrated we are at this
morning's events. .... We are disappointed in the apparent rush to
judgment given the fact that the investigation into this matter has not
been concluded," said Gene Ryan, president of the police union, at a
news conference. "Our officers, like every other American, are entitled
to due process."
An attorney for the union, the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police, said the officers did nothing wrong.
"No
officer injured Mr. Gray, caused harm to Mr. Gray, and they are truly
saddened by his death," Michael Davey, told reporters.
Freddie
Gray's stepfather, told reporters at a separate news conference that
the family is satisfied with the charges announced. "These charges are
an important step in getting justice for Freddie," Richard Shipley said.
The family's attorney, William
Murphy, responded to the union's comment on a rush to judgement, saying:
"We haven't said we believe these officers are guilty. We haven't said
we believe they are innocent. We said that we want justice."
Protesters rejoice
Word of Mosby's decision quickly filtered through Baltimore and across the country.
Jubilant protesters, who just hours before had been decrying what they called the slow pace of the investigation, honked horns and cheered in the streets, happy, for the moment at least, that the justice they had demanded appeared to be taking its course.
"Did
we expect something this monumental? No," the Rev. Walter Scott Thomas
of New Faith Psalmist Baptist Church said. "But are we excited about it?
Absolutely."
Across the country, people took to social media to cheer the decision.
"Let me tell you I just sat
and watched Marilyn Mosby speak and as she announced everything I shed a
tear..someone finally got it right," Twitter user TaviBabi wrote.
Mosby and other leaders called for peaceful protests in the wake of the charges, saying unrest would only cause further harm.
Hundreds
of people marched Friday evening near the Baltimore Central Booking and
Intake Center, where the six officers were processed. The large
procession continued through downtown, occasionally blocking traffic.
'Grossly negligent'
Police officers arrested Gray on April 12. He slipped into a coma after suffering his injuries and died a week later.
According
to Mosby's narrative, the incident began when two police officers on
bike patrol "made eye contact" with Gray, who then began to run.
Officers
caught up to him, he surrendered and was placed on the ground, arms
handcuffed behind his back. He said he couldn't breathe and asked for an
inhaler, "to no avail," Mosby said.
Although
police found a knife in Gray's pants, it was a variety allowed by
Maryland law, and police had no reason to detain him, the prosecutors
said. Still, they called for a police transport van to take him away.
Once
the van arrived, officers loaded Gray, in handcuffs, into the van. They
did not put a seat belt on him as required by department policy, Mosby
said.
Goodson stopped the van four
times over the course of the approximately 40-minute ride, and at the
first stop officers took Gray out, put shackles on his ankles and placed
him -- still handcuffed -- headfirst and on his stomach in the back.
At
the last stop Goodson picked up another man who was put in the back of
the van on the other side of the partition that keeps prisoners
separated.
Donta Allen, the second
prisoner in the van, told CNN's Don Lemon that a report saying he had
told investigators that Gray was trying to hurt himself during the trip
was "untrue -- very, very, very untrue. I haven't talked to no
investigators. ... The only person I talked to was homicide."
Allen
told Lemon that a separate report of Gray being irate and screaming in
the van was "absolutely untrue. ... Never heard him (Gray). The only
thing that I heard was a little banging, like he, I thought he was
banging, someone was over there banging their head or something."
Mosby
said Goodson and other officers who saw Gray's condition failed to get
him medical help, despite his requests, until arrival at the Western
District Police Station.
By then, Mosby said, he was no longer breathing.
Mosby called the officer's actions "grossly negligent."
Gray was rushed to a University of Maryland medical facility where he underwent surgery. He died a week later.
Mosby,
who has a rich family history in law enforcement, said it was important
not to paint the entire police department as villains.
"I
can tell you that the actions of these officers will not and should not
in any way damage the important working relationships between police
and prosecutors as we continue to fight together to reduce crime in
Baltimore."
And she called on protesters to remain peaceful in the wake of the announcement.
"This
is a moment. This is your moment," she said, addressing the city's
youth. "Let's ensure that we have peaceful and productive rallies that
will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come.
"To
the people of Baltimore and demonstrators across America, I heard your
call for, 'No justice, no peace'," she said. "Your peace is sincerely
needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man."
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