From the CBS Local News reporting on the "Gray"
case arrests:
* * * * * *
City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby says Freddie Gray
received his critical injuries in Baltimore police custody and has charged all
six officers involved in his death.
The state medical examiner’s office turned over Gray’s
autopsy on Friday morning, a day after the police turned over their
investigation into Gray’s death.
“The findings of our comprehensive, thorough, and
independent investigation coupled with the ME’s determination that Mr. Gray’s
death was a homicide which we received today, has led us to believe that we
have probable cause to file criminal charges,” Mosby said.
She charged all six officers in the death of Gray and
said his arrest was illegal.
Mosby described the morning’s event:
She said Lt. Brian W. Rice along with Officer Garret
Miller & Officer Edward M. Nero were on bike patrol when they made eye
contact with Gray. Gray ran from Rice and Rice dispatched he was involved in a
foot pursuit. Other officers got involved.
Gray surrendered to Miller and Nero and the officer
handcuffed him behind his back, Mosby said.
* "SURRENDERED," HUH? "SURRENDERED" IN
THE FACE OF A WARRANT THAT THE POLICE WHO ARRESTED HIM KNEW WAS ACTIVE?
* THAT'S THE THING, FOLKS... SURE... THE RUNNING IS
SUSPICIOUS AND YES... GRAY WAS A CAREER CRIMINAL AND THE OFFICERS IN QUESTION
MAY HAVE KNOWN THIS... BUT IS RUNNING FROM THE POLICE IN AND OF ITSELF AGAINST
THE LAW? (SERIOUS QUESTION?!) IN OTHER WORDS, DID GRAY'S ACTIONS IN RUNNING
CONSTITUTE PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST HIM ABSENT A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST OR
CATCHING HIM IN THE ACT OF COMMITTING A CRIME? (AGAIN... THIS IS A KEY
QUESTION!)
Gray asked for an inhaler because he “could not breathe,”
but the officers did not get him medical attention.
* DID GRAY HAVE AN INHALER WITH HIM THAT OFFICERS DENIED
HIM THE USE OF, OR DID HE ASK FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION IN GENERAL - SPECIFICALLY
"SUGGESTING" AN INHALER BE SUPPLIED? (AGAIN... DETAILS MATTER.)
* IN EITHER CASE, WHY DIDN'T THE OFFICERS CALL FOR MEDICAL
ASSISTANCE OR TAKE GRAY TO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM FOR EVALUATION. (WHAT IS
DEPARTMENT POLICY IN SUCH A SITUATION?)
They found a knife clipped inside his pants packet — the
knife was not a switchblade and is lawful under Maryland law, she said.
* "LAWFUL UNDER MARYLAND LAW." GOOD ENOUGH FOR
ME!
(*SHRUG*)
* OF COURSE... THIS DOESN'T PREVENT ME FROM THROWING OUT
THE QUESTION: SHOULD FELONS RETAIN THE RIGHT TO CARRY A KNIFE? (AFTER ALL, THEY
LOSE THEIR VOTING RIGHTS... THEY LOSE THEIR RIGHT TO OWN A GUN...)
(*ANOTHER SHRUG*)
The officers then restrained Gray in a “leg lace,” and
held him down until the transport van arrived, while he “flailed and screamed.”
The officers failed to find probable cause for Gray’s
arrest, Mosby said.
(*SILENCE*)
* OF COURSE I WANT TO HEAR THE COPS' SIDE... BUT THAT'S A
PRETTY DAMNING STATEMENT BY CITY STATE'S ATTORNEY.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
When the police transport van arrived, he was placed into
the wagon driven by Officer Caesar B. Goodson, but without a seatbelt.
* DOES STATE LAW - AND/OR POLICE REGULATIONS - REQUIRE
SEATBELT USE IN THE BACK OF SUCH A VEHICLE? (JUST ASKING!) IN ANY CASE, IT DOES
SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA. (AS DOES THE IDEA OF HAVING A CAMERA AND MICROPHONE BACK
THERE AS WELL...)
“At no point was he secured by a seatbelt while in the
wagon contrary to a BPD general order,” she added. “Despite stopping for the
purpose of checking on Mr. Gray’s condition, at no point did he seek nor render
any medical assistance for Mr. Gray.”
* HEY... STOPPING TO CHECK ON HIS CONDITION... DEFINITELY
A POINT IN THE OFFICERS' FAVOR.
(*NOD*)
Gray was then removed from the wagon at Baker Street,
places flex cuffs on his wrists and leg shackles on his ankles — while they
completed paperwork. He was then placed back into the wagon’s floor head first
and stomach down — without a seatbelt.
* NORMAL PROCEDURE...???
(*RAISING ONE EYE*)
“Following transport from Baker Street, Mr. Gray suffered
a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by
his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon,” Mosby said.
* PERHAPS. (OR PERHAPS IT HAPPENED PRIOR TO THIS. HOW
EXACTLY DO THEY KNOW... OR RATHER CLAIM THEY KNOW?) (AGAIN... SERIOUS
QUESTION!)
After leaving Baker Street, the officers stopped again to
check on Gray’s condition, but they did not seek medical attention for Gray.
Again, Goodson drove off without buckling Gray into the van.
* WHY...??? (THIS OF COURSE IS THE CRUCIAL QUESTION.)
The van stopped once again, this time Officer William G.
Porter met up with Goodson and checked on Gray. Gray asked for medical
attention stating he couldn’t breathe. Porter asked Gray if he needed a medic
and although Gray insisted he did, the officers allegedly placed him back on
the bench and decided he did not need a medic.
* WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN "ALLEGEDLY." (HEY... WHAT
CAN I SAY? I NOTICE THE DETAILS OF WHAT I'M READING!)
Then Porter left to assist with another arrest on West
North Avenue and Goodson shortly followed with Gray in the back of the police
van to help transport another suspect. When they arrived at that located they -
Sgt. Alicia White, Goodson and Porter - saw Gray was unresponsive on the floor
of the back of the wagon.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
White spoke to the back of Gray’s head and was advised he
needed a medic, but Mosby said she made no effort to determine his condition.
* WHERE ARE WE GETTING THIS FROM? IS THIS POLICE
TESTIMONY?
The officer did not get Gray medical attention until they
returned to the Western District station.
* SO...
(*HEADACHE*)
* MOSBY IS ACCUSING THE COPS OF LETTING GRAY DIE IN THE
VAN... THEN... KNOWING HE WAS DEAD... THEY SIMPLY DROVE THE BODY TO THE
STATION...?!?! (SOUNDS A BIT "ODD" - DOES IT NOT?) ONE WOULD THINK
THAT THE COPS WOULD COVER THEIR ASSES BY RUSHING THE "NON-RESPONSIVE"
GRAY TO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM. (WOULDN'T YOU...???)
Mosby said the officers are being charged with a number
of counts of manslaughter, assault and misconduct. One officer will even be
charged with a count of murder.
Officer Caeser B. Goodson, Jr. was charged with
second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree
assault, two counts of manslaughter by vehicle and misconduct in office.
* DEPRAVED "HEART" MURDER...???
(*SCRATCHING MY HEAD*)
Officer William G. Porter was charged with involuntary
manslaughter, second-degree assault and misconduct in office.
Lt. Brian W. Rice was charged with involuntary
manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of misconduct in
office and false imprisonment.
Officer Edward M. Nero charged with two counts of
second-degree assault, two counts of misconduct in office and false
imprisonment.
Officer Garret Miller charged with two counts of
second-degree assault, two counts of misconduct in office and false
imprisonment.
Sgt. Alicia White - involuntary manslaughter,
second-degree assault and misconduct in office.
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of the officers.
“To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across
America, I heard your call for ‘No Justice, No Peace,’ your peace is sincerely
needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man,” Mosby added.
The officers could face up to 20 years in prison for the
charges. The driver — Goodson — could face up to 63 years in prison. They are
expected to turn themselves in later today.
As groups take to the streets of Baltimore to celebrate
the news, several officials reacted to the findings.
The Baltimore Police Fraternal Order of Police No. 3
issued a letter to Mosby Friday morning on behalf of the officers involved
saying that the death was not the officers’ faults and they also requested a
special prosecutor citing conflicts of interest with Mosby’s office.
“Each of the officers involved is sincerely saddened by
Gray’s passing. They are all committed police officers who have dedicated their
careers to the Baltimore City Police Department,” the letter states, “And that
has been lost in all the publicity.”
* GRAY WAS A CAREER CRIMINAL... RIGHT? IF THAT'S
CORRECT... COUNT ME AS NOT BEING "SINCERELY SADDENED BY GRAY'S PASSING."
(JUST SAYIN'...)
“All death is tragic,” the FOP states. “And death
associated with interaction with police is both shocking and frightening to the
public.”
* SOME DEATHS LESS TRAGIC THAN OTHERS... (BUT, HEY...
PERHAPS THAT'S JUST MY FEELING...)
Rep. Elijah Cummings reacted to the charges filed against
the officers in a press conference Friday afternoon:
“Let the wheels of justice roll, and it’s good that they
are rolling, instead of standing still,” Cummings said. “”One of things that
I’m determined to do and I’m hoping we’re able to do is make Baltimore a model
for the nation.”
(*SNORT*)
Gov. Larry Hogan who has been working from Baltimore this
week due to the state of emergency also commented on Mosby’s findings:
“We finally get the process moving forward, but it’s a
process. The criminal justice system is gonna work its way through; we believe
in the criminal justice system. It’s just one component of what’s going on down
here. There’s the Freddie Gray case, there’s the safety of the people of
Baltimore, and then there’s the longer term issues,” Hogan said. “My role in
the process is to try to keep folks safe.” … “I know emotions are running high.
We want to keep the peace, keep the calm. We’ve got a lot folks out there
demonstrating tonight and tomorrow and we want to continue to have the kind of
success we’ve had over the past three days of keeping people calm.”
Hogan said he doesn’t have a timeline for when curfew
will be lifted.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who has
received criticism for her handling of the Baltimore riots on Monday, also
discussed the case:
“No one in our city is above the law,” Rawlings-Blake
said. "Justice must apply to all of us equally.”
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