Freddie killed himself—albeit more slowly than “normal”—through a lethal combination of excited delirium and beating his previously injured head/spinal chord against the van interior.
Suicide by cop comes in many forms.
Backup ping.
There was video of the police van with Gray inside prior to leaving the arrest site. It looked like there was an uncaged Tasmanian Devil inside causing the vehicle to sway madly from side to side. The van had only gone ~a block before it stopped, as the driver now on trial called the arresting officers for help. They soon arrived and repositioned Gray on his belly on the van floor so his frenzied gyrations wouldn’t keep the driver from safely proceeding. There was also video of a very hostile crowd growing in numbers and shouting threats at officers, so decisions had to be made and action taken without the luxury of time and reflection.