Freddie Gray Case Brings New Effort To Reexamine Additional Police Custody Deaths
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- There's a growing number of calls for the city state's attorney to investigate other police custody deaths.
Derek Valcourt explains the push to re-open some of these cases.
The death of Tyrone West while being arrested in north Baltimore in 2013 led to city hall hearings, and a decision by then City State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein not to charge any officers with wrong doing saying their use of force was justified. That outraged his family.
West's heartbroken family has now filed a federal lawsuit but they haven't stopped demanding justice for Tyrone.
Now they're getting some support from City Councilman Warren Branch who's calling on new City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby to reexamine the case after she announced charges against all six officers involved in the high profile in-custody death of Freddie Gray.
"We might get the same results that Greg Bernstein got, but just having a fresh set of eyes take a look at it it's nothing," said Councilman Branch.
Branch says Mosby should also reexamine two other in-custody deaths including the death of Anthony Anderson.
Those families and their attorneys aren't comfortable with how Bernstein handled their cases.
"Basically Mr. Bernstein just took the word of the police department," said A. Dwight Pettit.
Dwight Pettit represents Tyrone West's family. He's confident Mosby's review of that case would have different results for the officers.
Pettit says, "I think that anybody reasonably looking at those facts would have to would have to conclud that a crime was being committed."
WJZ reached out to Mosby's office for comment but our calls so far have not been returned.
Councilman Branch is also requesting the city state's attorney to re-examine whether charges are warranted against the officer who fatally shot and killed Maurice Donald Johnson in 2012.
