Posted on 11/29/2015 7:52:20 AM PST by smoothsailing
November 29, 2015
by Ian Simpson
(Reuters) - Trial begins on Monday for a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of a black man from an injury he suffered while in police custody that triggered rioting and protests and fueled a U.S. debate on police brutality.
Officer William Porter, 26, is the first of six officers scheduled for separate trials in Baltimore City Circuit Court for the death in April of Freddie Gray.
Trial will begin with jury selection. Judge Barry Williams last week ordered the identities of jurors to be shielded to keep them from facing outside pressure.
Gray, 25, died from a spinal injury suffered in the back of a police transport van after he was taken into custody. Porter is accused of ignoring Gray's requests for medical aid and not putting a seatbelt on him, even though he was shackled and handcuffed.
Porter faces charges of second-degree assault, manslaughter, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. If convicted on all counts he could face more than 25 years in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
It will be interesting to see if Freddy Gray’s past history of intentional self-injury when in police custody (to help establish a basis for lawsuit/settlement) is allowed in by the judge. The judge’s decision in this matter will be an indicator of whether the judge is participating in “railroading” this defendant.
It’s obvious his neck was broken before he got into the van.
This cop, the driver, just needs to show the video. Slam dunk. Poor Freddy broke his own neck while running from the cops.
Bal’moore hon ping...
Agreed, it won’t take long to know if the fix is in.
I disagree. Are you basing your claim on the video where the police had to drag him to the paddy wagon ?
urg. no change of venue. good luck to the cops.....
It’s Baltimore, what Marilyn Mosby wants, Marilyn Mosby gets.
It’s obvious his neck was broken before he got into the van.
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Nah, that was simply Freddie’s modus operandi when he was arrested...going completely limp. He had a practice of, once in custody, of trying to injure himself and then saying he was roughed up by the cops and then having a lawyer sue the city. My strong suspicion is that he tried that one last time in the “paddy wagon” and managed to break his own neck. The funny thing is that, while screwing himself by that action, he ENRICHED HIS FAMILY as the city paid them a huge amount of money. Freddie turned out to be, after all, NOT worthless.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Baltimore County non-uniformed officers were told to wear their uniforms tomorrow in case Baltimore City police need help.
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