2015/05/01 – BALTIMORE – In a momentous decision that may shape future relations between police and residents in Baltimore, the State’s Attorney on Friday announced she would file charges against six city officers she says are responsible for the death of Freddie Gray.

During a stirring press conference, Marilyn Mosby, the daughter of five generations of police officers, said the six officers illegally arrested Gray and then failed to get him the medical help he clearly needed after they arrested him.

She charged Caesar Goodson, Jr., the officer driving a transport van that Gray was riding in with the harshest crime, second degree depraved heart murder, a charge for an action that is considered to demonstrate a callous disregard for human life. It carries a sentence of up to 30 years in Maryland.

She charged the other officers with involuntary manslaughter, assault, failure to render aid and misconduct in office.

A loud cheer went up when she announced the charges.

“To the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf,” she said.

Gray, 25, died April 19, a week after his encounter with the officers, of a mysterious spinal injury while in police custody. His death led to 10 days of protests, some that turned violent Monday after Gray’s funeral. Clashes between police and protesters led to arrests of more than 200 people and injuries to at least 20 police officers.

She outlined the encounter between Gray and the officers, starting from the point when he made contact with an officer on April 12 and ran. She said police illegally arrested Gray, assaulted him and falsely accused him of carrying an illegal weapon when they found a utility knife on him that is legal to carry in Maryland. She said police handcuffed and carried him to the metal portion of the van where he was not strapped in with a seat belt, as per department policy.

She said officers Garrett Miller, William Porter, Edward Nero, Lt. Brian Rice and Sgt. Alicia White assaulted Gray. Each faces up to 10 years if convicted of second-degreee assault.

The officers did not get Gray help, even though he requested it several times, including once when he said he needed an inhaler because he couldn’t breathe, she said.

Mosby said the charges are not an indictment on the entire force. Mosby said she comes from five generations of police officers, including her parents, aunts, uncles and a grandfather who is a founding member of a black officers organization in Massachusetts.

She said she filed charges against the officers this morning.

“We knew this was a serious case,” she said.

In comments after the charges were announced, President Obama said, “Justice needs to be served .. What I think the people of Baltimore want more than anything else is the truth.”

Residents on the streets of the Sandtown neighborhood where police arrested Gray greeted the news of the charges with celebration and cautious optimism.

Near a burned-out CVS that has been the epicenter of protests, dozens of people gathered to process the unexpected and what they considered momentous news. Many wondered what might come next. Many waved their hands in the air, laughed loudly and gave high fives to each other. Passing cars honked their horns in solidarity as people pumped their fists in the air.

Police stepped up their presence in the neighborhood. Members of the National Guard stood in line wearing fatigues and holding. Baltimore police officers, Maryland state troopers and Pennsylvania state troopers, all in riot gear and many carrying shields, stood staring at the unfolding scene.

News of the charges shocked Quinton Carter, 23, of Baltimore, who said he felt that justice was finally being served 12 days after Gray died.

“It makes me feel good,” a smiling Carter said. “Police officers now see that they will be held accountable for the things they do to us.”

Carter, who is black, said for decades police have treated young black men, including himself, unfairly and assumed that they are up to no good. Just last week, Carter said he was sitting at a bus stop when an officer pulled a gun out on him.

“I fit the description of someone they were looking for and a lot of that happens around here,” Carter said. “It’s sad.”

Longtime Maryland Congressman, Elijah Cummings, a Democrat who has been marching with protesters in recent days, praised Mosby’s decision to charge the officers.

“We did witness history,” he said Friday afternoon.

The Baltimore police officers union says the six officers charged in the Freddie Gray investigation aren’t responsible for his death.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 President Gene Ryan made the comment Friday in a letter to Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby before she announced the charges. It was the union’s strongest statement to date in the officers’ defense.

“As tragic as this situation is, none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of Mr. Gray,” Ryan wrote. “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.”

Ryan asked Mosby in the letter to appoint a special independent prosecutor. But after announcing charges Friday, Mosby said she would not turn the case over to a special prosecutor.

The union contracts with an attorney, Michael Davey, who has said that five of the six officers gave voluntary statements on the day of Gray’s arrest.

Source: USA Today 

Marisol Bello and Yamiche Alcindor