Ben Carson: Freddie Gray's Injury 'Almost Impossible to Acquire by Simply Rolling Around in a Van'

Christian Post ^ | 05/05/2015 | Leonardo Blair

[SeekAndFind]

Renowned neurosurgeon and potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, said Friday that the injury suffered by 25-year-old Freddie Gray who died on April 19 after being gravely injured while in the custody of Baltimore police officers "would be almost impossible to acquire…by simply rolling around in a van."

In an announcement highlighting criminal charges against six Baltimore police officers Friday, the city's newly elected State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Gray suffered a spinal injury while being transported in a police van and charged that the failure of the police to put a seatbelt on him was a crucial factor in how he was injured.

"Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside the B.P.D. wagon," said Mosby.

An earlier report in The Washington Post citing a police document had suggested that Gray may have been intentionally trying to hurt himself while being transported in the police van.

Carson, who served as head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore before retiring in 2013, said however that it is quite unlikely that Gray's injury was self-inflicted.

"The type of injury incurred by Mr. Freddie Gray at the base of the cervical spine with significant damage to the spinal cord requires a great deal of direct pressure to that area. It would be almost impossible to acquire such an injury by simply rolling around in a van, regardless of how violently," said Carson in a post to his Facebook page. "Therefore, there is a high likelihood that direct trauma occurred."

[for-q-clinton]

Whatever. Anyone NOT wanting to show what really happened is covering something up. It’s that simple.

Like the police always say...if you don’t have anything to hide what are you afraid of. Oh that only works when the police want to question the citizens. But when the citizens want to question the police...well there is plenty to hide.

[for-q-clinton]

And that’s not all the video would do. If Darren Wilson had a body cam that video could have been released early and show that thug never raised his hands and was the attacker.

[Kazan]

Anyone NOT wanting to show what really happened is covering something up

Again, any video will simply be used to attack police and claim something happened that didn't in many cases. And, as result, police will be more reluctant to their jobs and protect citizens.

The endless acts on police is going to result crime rates we haven't see in decades.

Liberaltarians are stupid as liberals on many issues

[Kazan]

If Darren Wilson had a body cam that video could have been released early and show that thug never raised his hands and was the attacker.

I doubt that would have convince Al Sharpton and the mob trying to lynch Darren Wilson. They believe what they want to believe.

[Carry me back]

The key words being almost impossible. So it could have happened. The guy was a drug dealer.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

So police will only do their jobs if we don’t question the manner in which they do it?

[LuvFreeRepublic]

‘All most impossible, not possible, etc.’

Well here is one for you. A kid in Southern CA was playing soccer and went up for a head ball. When he came down his chin hit the top of another kid's head, resulting in a broken neck that killed him. Not the same thing as Gray's situation, but strange things do happen and can cause unusual damage.

[Kazan]

So police will only do their jobs if we don’t question the manner in which they do it?

Absolutely they will become trigger shy if they are given an anal exam every time they have to use force.

Your suggestion is a criminal's best friend and that is why the ACLU and Obama are so in favor of the body cameras.

[for-q-clinton]

I could careless about Sharpton. But the NFL players probably wouldn’t be coming out with hands-up and other stupid crap like that. It would have just been the really stupid race baiters “believing” it.

[for-q-clinton]

And arresting the police won’t make them trigger shy? Only body cams will?

What happened here is a real tragedy if the cops did nothing wrong. And body cams would be able to show that. But instead we have to arrest 6 cops—and you don’t think that will have a chilling effect on cops arresting people?

[for-q-clinton]

BTW: Cops have used body cams for years in some areas. They haven’t quit their jobs or stopped arresting people.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Okay, as long as you’re good with a world where police can inflict violence on anyone they want with impunity.

[for-q-clinton]

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/chesapeake-police-expand-use-body-cameras

^ read this article from 2011.

[Kid Shelleen]

>> I still think he could have inflicted them on himself.


Isn't self harm a sign of drug seeking behavior? I have no idea what happened but it would be interesting to hear from people that work in inner city emergency rooms. If Gray were going through withdrawals is it far fetched to think he would try anything to get a fix?

[trisham]

The fact that Dr. Carson sees the need to even comment at this point shows he is not ready for prime time.

***********************

Agreed.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[Kazan]

Okay, as long as you’re good with a world where police can inflict violence on anyone they want with impunity.

Gee, if they wanted to do that, they could turn the body cameras off.

99.9% of police officers don't inflict violence on innocent people.

Here's clue -- don't commit crimes and resist arrest and police won't harm you. Pretty simple.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Gee, if they wanted to do that, they could turn the body cameras off.,

It's interesting how often you hear the "Oh, the camera wasn't working" line when these things happen.

Here's clue -- don't commit crimes and resist arrest and police won't harm you.

Do you want a list of people who were minding their own business and the police harmed them? Look up Dillon Taylor. Joseph Schultz. Donald Scott. Akai Gurley. Kathryn Johnston. Patricia Cook. Levar Jones. John Williams.

You want more? I got more. Or is looking at these cases and finding the police acted improperly on perfectly innocent people who weren't committing crimes the kind of thing that will make police refuse to do the job? Because if you can't shoot people who were minding their own business, not committing any crime until you came along and say it was accident, or that you felt threatened, what's the point of being a cop, right? Who'd want that job?

[Kazan]

Do you want a list of people who were minding their own business and the police harmed them? Look up Dillon Taylor. Joseph Schultz. Donald Scott. Akai Gurley. Kathryn Johnston. Patricia Cook. Levar Jones. John Williams

So what? With hundreds of police departments, police make mistakes as one did with Dillon Taylor. They should be fired and/or charged.

But, a handful of examples out of tens of thousands of arrests each year isn't an example of widespread police abuse. In fact, it is to be expected because police are human beings that make mistakes.

Again, truly corrupt cops would turn off the cameras.

Body cameras will turn policing into a circus, make police hesitant to do their jobs and increase the crime rate. As result, more innocent people will die.

Libertarians are stupid as liberals on many issues.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

With hundreds of police departments, police make mistakes as one did with Dillon Taylor. They should be fired and/or charged.

So where's the line between holding police responsible for their mistakes and firing them and "an anal exam every time they have to use force," as you put it, that will make them reluctant to do their jobs?