Freddie Gray
Freddie Gray's death in police custody sparked protests and legal battles.
Freddie Gray was a 25-year-old African-American man whose death in police custody in Baltimore in April 2015 sparked widespread protests and a national debate on policing. His case led to criminal charges against six officers, though none were ultimately convicted, and a federal investigation found insufficient evidence to bring civil rights charges.
Quick Facts
- Date
- 12 April 2015 (incident), 19 April 2015 (Gray's death)
- Location
- Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
- Cause
- Spinal cord injury
- Filmed by
- Two witnesses to Gray's arrest, store video of police van
- Participants
- Freddie C. Gray, six Baltimore police officers
- Burial
- 27 April 2015
- Inquiries
- U.S. Department of Justice; Baltimore Police Department
- Accused
- Caesar R. Goodson Jr.
- William G. Porter
- Brian W. Rice
- Edward M. Nero
- Garrett Miller
- Alicia D. White
Facts from the source article.
Backgrounds
Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. was born on August 16, 1989, to Gloria Darden. He had a twin sister named Fredericka and another sister named Carolina. Between 1991 and 1993, as a child living in a rental home with peeling paint in West Baltimore's Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, Gray was exposed to dangerous levels of lead. His blood lead levels reached 37 μg/dL, far above what is considered toxic. Once he started school, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and placed in special education classes. He played wide receiver in a local football little league but often skipped school, failed multiple grades, and left high school in the ninth grade. In 2008, Gray and his siblings sued their former landlord over the brain damage caused by the lead poisoning, which led to educational and medical problems, and they won. In 2013, Gray sold his future settlement payments, worth $146,000, to a company called Access Funding for an immediate payment of $18,000. A 2016 article in The Washington Post revealed this deal, leading the Maryland Attorney General's office to investigate and the state legislature to propose changes to the practice. At the time of his death, Gray lived in a house owned by his sisters on East Lorraine Avenue in Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood. He was 5 feet tall and weighed 145 pounds. Gray had been arrested 18 times on charges including drug offenses, three separate assault charges, and other minor crimes, and had served time in jail.
Arrest and death
On the morning of April 12, 2015, police encountered Freddie Gray in the street near Baltimore's Gilmor Homes housing project, an area known for high levels of home foreclosures, poverty, drug deals, and violent crime. Approximately three weeks earlier, State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby had requested enhanced drug enforcement at the corner of North and Mount. According to charging documents, Lieutenant Brian W. Rice, Officer Edward Nero, and Officer Garrett E. Miller were patrolling on bicycles and made eye contact with Gray, who fled on foot unprovoked upon noticing police presence. After a brief chase, Gray was apprehended without the use of force or incident, according to Officer Miller, who noticed a knife clipped to the inside of Gray's front right pocket. Miller stated Gray unlawfully carried a switchblade knife, though the state's attorney later said the spring-assisted knife was legal under Maryland law, while a police task force said it violated the Baltimore code. Video recordings by two bystanders showed Gray screaming, being dragged to a police van, and then stepping up into the van. A bystander with connections to Gray stated officers were previously folding Gray, bending his legs backward and pressing a knee into his neck. Witnesses commented Gray couldn't walk or use his legs. Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts noted from the video that Gray stood on one leg and climbed into the van on his own. The Baltimore Sun reported another witness saw Gray being beaten with police batons.
Aftermath
The Baltimore Police Department suspended six officers with pay pending an investigation: Lieutenant Brian Rice, Sergeant Alicia White, Officer William Porter, Officer Garrett Miller, Officer Edward Nero, and Officer Caesar Goodson. On April 24, 2015, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said police employees failed to get Gray medical attention in a timely manner multiple times and did not follow procedure by failing to buckle Gray in the van during transport. The U.S. Department of Justice also opened an investigation. On April 30, 2015, Kevin Moore, a witness who filmed Gray's arrest, was arrested at gunpoint following what he described as harassment and intimidation by police. Moore said he had cooperated and given over his video, but his photo was made public by police who asked the public to identify him as wanted for questioning. He was released the next day, but two others arrested with him remained in custody. That same day, medical examiners reported Gray sustained more injuries from slamming into the inside of the transport van, apparently breaking his neck; a head injury matched a bolt in the back of the van. On May 19, 2015, prosecutors asked for a gag order on attorneys, police, and witnesses, which a judge denied on June 8 on procedural grounds.
Federal investigations
On May 8, 2015, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that the Department of Justice would conduct a review of the current practices of the Baltimore Police Department due to the serious erosion of public trust related to Gray's death. The review focused on allegations that Baltimore police officers use excessive force, including deadly force, conduct unlawful searches, seizures or arrests, and engage in discriminatory policing. As of May 2015, federal authorities were conducting three probes into Baltimore police: the pattern of practice investigation initiated by Lynch, a collaborative review that began in fall 2014, and a civil rights probe into Gray's death. On September 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not bring federal charges against the six officers, finding the evidence insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they willfully violated Gray's civil rights. Non-criminal internal disciplinary trials were prosecuted by a three-person panel chaired by a representative from another Maryland police agency, an outside lawyer, and former chair of the Baltimore City School Board Neil Dukel. Of the six officers, Porter did not face internal discipline; Nero and Miller pled guilty, accepted departmental discipline, and returned to work; Rice and Goodson were cleared by trial boards; and White faced no further administrative actions.
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