We got the "right result," says Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby had the nation's attention Friday when she announced charges against six officers in the death of Freddie Gray. Mosby told CBS News she announced the charges on Friday because she thinks there needed to be transparency in the process.
"We went public because it was a matter of the public concern. At the end of the day this was a thorough investigation to get to the right result and I believe that we did."
Mosby rejected criticism that she rushed the charges, pointing to the wealth of information she reviewed. Mosby said her office sent its own investigators to talk to witnesses and reviewed information from the Baltimore Police Department and the Medical Examiner's report, before announcing the charges.
Mosby told CBS News she expects charges to be filed against those who rioted in Baltimore earlier this week.
"So many people feel voiceless but at the same time this lawlessness is unacceptable and so we will hold people accountable for destroying businesses and burning homes and cars," said Mosby. "That's not the right way in which we should approach this."
Mosby's youth and upbringing has drawn national interest. The 35-year-old mother of two is the youngest top prosecutor of a major city. She comes from a five generations of police officers, including her father, mother, aunts and uncles.
"Law enforcement is instilled so I recognize the commitment, the sacrifice that police officers make day in and day out, time away from their families, their daily sacrifice of their lives for the betterment of our communities," said Mosby. "I also recognize that there are individuals who usurp their authority and they avoid the public trust, it's unacceptable. Those individuals who usurp their authority, those individuals do a disservice to the really hard working police officers who risk their lives day in and day out."
Mosby was born in Baltimore, and raised in Boston by her single mother. She got interested in law after a 17-year-old cousin was gunned down by another teen who mistook him for a drug dealer.
Mosby studied law at Tuskegee University where she met her future husband, Baltimore City Councilman Nick Gray. He represents West Baltimore where the riots first broke out this week.
Mosby was an insurance company lawyer, and an assistant state attorney general before running for her current office.
"I take this oath seriously, and I want the public to know that my administration is committed to creating a fair and equitable justice system for all," Mosby said during a press conference on Friday.