“But unless the prosecutors can prove the cops were either inside the van throwing the unsecured but shackled Grey around, or deliberately driving the van in a wild manner so as to cause severe injury to Grey, I don’t see how in the h..l charges of murder can be filed against the police”
The most damning part of the story for the cops, as I see it, is their refusal (multiple times) to render or request medical assistance, especially at the van’s last stop when Gray appeared to be unresponsive. Those repeated failures could go beyond mere negligence, and could be considered reckless disregard for human life (which is what the prosecution would have to prove to get a conviction on the murder charge). A lot will depend on the evidence/testimony about what exactly happened at each of the van’s stops.
And yes, I am aware of the rumors/reports that Gray had a history of seeking medical attention when he was arrested. Plenty of arrestees do, and that may explain why the officers did what they did. But, the bottom line is, if you are a police officer, and you have someone in your custody, and that person requests medical attention multiple times, and you do not provide medical assistance, and the person winds up dead, then you are going to have a lot to answer for.
Sure...I agree....the police have to take reasonable precautions to avoid injury to prisoners in their custody. But even if they're guilty of negligence in Grey's case, it still falls far short of murder. All the facts/evidence are still not in, and this wacko prosecutor accuses the cops of murder?
The most she should have said is that they don't have all the facts and the cops could be guilty of extreme negligence. Based on the flimsy evidence she had that's all she should have said. But she was revealing her own prejudices and pandering to the mob.
How many thousands of prisoners have been transported more or less the same way Grey was transported but didn't suffer severe injuries? One drug-addled perp gets himself killed, and the cops are guilty of murder? It's just too much. Again, if this Grey guy were white, would there be this kind of carnival and crazy accusations? I doubt it.
That is probably the most accurate statement I have seen posted in all these arguments so far. Exactly right.