Baltimore Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Remaining Officers In Freddie Gray Case
BALTIMORE (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Prosecutors have dropped the remaining charges against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, bringing an end to the case without a conviction.
Gray was a black man who was critically injured in the back of a police van in April 2015.
The prosecutors' decision Wednesday came at a pretrial motions hearing for Officer Garrett Miller, who faced charges of second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
Gray's father, Richard Shipley, said the family stands by Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, adding that the family "is proud to have her represent us.''
Gray's mother, Gloria Darden, blames police for her son's death and accused officers of lying to investigators.
In a fiery defense of her prosecution, Mosby blamed police for an investigation that failed to hold anyone accountable for the death of Gray. Mosby said she stands by the finding that Gray's death was a homicide, saying "we do not believe that Freddie Gray killed himself.''
Gene Ryan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, said that the detectives in the case did a thorough job and he called the state's attorney's comments "outrageous'' and untrue. He said justice has been served.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called Mosby "a disgrace'' and said she "should prosecute herself. She should be held accountable.''
"I think it was disgraceful what she did. And the way she did it and the news conferences she had where, they were guilty before anybody even knew the facts," he added.
The decision came after a judge had already acquitted three of the six officers charged in the case, including the van driver and another officer who was the highest-ranking of the group.
A fourth officer had his case heard by a jury, who deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial.
Prosecutors had said Gray was illegally arrested after he ran away from a bike patrol officer and the officers failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt or call a medic when he indicated he wanted to go to a hospital.
The death added fuel to the growing Black Lives Matter movement and caused turmoil in Baltimore, including large protests and the worst riots the city had seen in decades.
Riots in Baltimore prompted the governor of Maryland to declare a state of emergency and activate the National Guard in Baltimore. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also deployed 150 state troopers to help Baltimore restore peace and order.
A New York City demonstration held in solidarity with the Baltimore protests resulted in 143 arrests last April after protesters spilled into traffic and shut down the outbound Holland Tunnel, the West Side Highway and several other city streets.
A memorial remained at the spot where Gray was arrested. Residents hope the community can move forward peacefully, CBS2's Craig Boswell reported.
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