Home Tags Posts tagged with "baltimore riots"

baltimore riots

0

Baltimore state prosecutor Marilyn J. Mosby said on May 1st that Freddie Gray’s death was a homicide and his arrest had been illegal.

Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died in police custody on April 19.

Marilyn Mosby has also announced she filed criminal charges against six Baltimore police officers.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for the Baltimore police officers says they “did nothing wrong”.

Lawyer Michael Davey said the officers “at all times acted reasonably and in accordance with their training”.

Freddie Gray’s death sparked violent protests in Baltimore.

Six officers are charged in Freddie Gray’s death from injuries he suffered while in police custody.

State Attorney Marilyn Mosby says the officers repeatedly failed to get Freddie Gray medical treatment after his arrest.

The police officers’ union has said they are not responsible for Freddie Gray’s death.

Officer Caesar Goodson: Was the driver of the van that transported Freddie Gray, and he faces the most serious charges. He repeatedly failed — at least five times — to seatbelt Freddie Gray in the transport vehicle. He faces 2nd-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, 2nd degree negligent assault, manslaughter by vehicle by means of gross negligence, manslaughter by vehicle by means of criminal negligence, misconduct in office for failure to secure prisoner and failure to render aid. All charges carry a potential 30-year sentence.

Caesar Goodson, 45, has been on the force since 1999, and like two others charged in Freddie Gray’s death is black.

Officer William G. Porter: Faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, assault in the 2nd degree, misconduct in office. At one point during the van ride, Caesar Goodson requested help checking on Freddie Gray. William Porter, 25, who joined the force in 2012, responded. Both he and Caesar Goodson checked on Freddie Gray. William Porter, who is black, helped Freddie Gray from the floor to a bench in the van, but neither Goodson nor Porter requested medical attention or put a seatbelt on Gray.

Lieutenant Brian W. Rice: Faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, assault in the 2nd degree, assault in the 2nd degree [second of two similar charges], misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Brian Rice was on bike patrol when he made eye contact with Freddie Gray on a Baltimore street April 12. Freddie Gray ran, and Brian Rice pursued him. Bike patrol officers Garrett Miller and Edward Nero joined the pursuit.

Brian Rice, 41, is the most senior officer to be charged. He joined the police force in 1997 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2011, police said.

Officer Edward M. Nero: Faces charges of assault in the 2nd degree (intentional), assault in the 2nd degree (negligent), misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Officer Garrett E. Miller: Faces charges of intentional assault in the 2nd degree, assault in the 2nd degree, negligent misconduct in office, false imprisonment.

Freddie Gray surrendered to Garrett Miller, 26, and Edward Nero, 29. Miller and Nero handcuffed Gray and put him on the ground. Gray told the officers that he couldn’t breathe and requested an inhaler. The two officers, both of whom joined the police force in 2012, sat Gray up and found a folded knife clipped to the inside of his pants pocket, a knife that is lawful under Maryland law. Previously, police have said they found a switchblade.

While Freddie Gray was being transported, Garrett Miller, Edward Nero and Brian Rice took him out of the wagon and put flex handcuffs and leg shackles on him. After that stop, they put Freddie Gray back into the van on his stomach without a seatbelt.

Sergeant Alicia D. White: Faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, 2nd degree assault, misconduct in office. She is the second-highest officer charged in the Gray case. She met the van at its stop to pick up the second person.

Alicia White, 30, was responsible for investigating two citizen complaints about Freddie Gray’s arrest. Alicia White, who is black, joined the police in 2010 and was recently made a sergeant in January 2015, police said.

0

Marilyn Mosby is the top state prosecutor for Baltimore that filed criminal charges against six officers in the case of Freddie Gray who died in police custody on April 19.

During a news conference on May 1st, State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the death of the 25-year-old black man was a homicide, and his arrest was illegal.

Marilyn Mosby announced charges ranging from second-degree murder to assault.Marilyn Mosby Freddie Gray case

Freddie Gray’s death – from injuries in custody – sparked violent protests in Baltimore this week.

Top state prosecutor for Baltimore Marilyn Mosby has been in office since January 2015.

Marilyn Mosby, 35, is an African-American raised in a gritty neighborhood of Boston.

Her husband, Nick Mosby, is a Baltimore Councilman.

In Boston, Marilyn Mosby’s mother, father and grandfather were all police officers.  Campaigning for her job in 2014, Marilyn Mosby said she decided to be a prosecutor when she was 14, the year one of her cousins, was shot to death outside her family home.

Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby has filed criminal charges against six officers in the case of Freddie Gray who died in police custody on April 19.

The state prosecutor said the death of the 25-year-old black man was a homicide, and his arrest was illegal.

Protesters cheered as Marilyn Mosby announced charges ranging from second-degree murder to assault. But a lawyer for the officers says they “did nothing wrong”.

Freddie Gray’s death – from injuries in custody – sparked protests that turned violent.

Marilyn Mosby said at a news conference: “The findings of our comprehensive, thorough, and independent investigation coupled with the medical examiner’s determination was a homicide… has led us to believe that we have probable cause to file criminal charges.”

Celebrations broke out across Baltimore after the announcement. Drivers honked their car horns as people took to the streets with fists raised in triumph.State Attorney Marilyn Mosby Freddie Gray death

Marilyn Mosby said Freddie Gray died as a result of injuries suffered while he was shackled inside a Baltimore police van, but not restrained by a seat belt – as he was legally required to be.

She said the officers failed to provided medical aid to Freddie Gray after he repeatedly pleaded for help.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake said that five of the officers were in custody. The sixth later turned himself in. The officers were suspended after Freddie Gray’s death.

“No one in our city is above the law,” Stephanie Rawlings Blake said.

“Justice must apply to all of us equally.”

The driver of the van, Caesar Goodson, 45, faces the most serious charge, second-degree murder.

Caesar Goodson faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.

The other officers face charges including involuntary manslaughter, assault and misconduct.

“To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for <<no justice, no peace>>. Your peace is sincerely needed, as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man,” Marilyn Mosby said.

Marilyn Mosby said that Freddie Gray was not carrying a switchblade as reported earlier by police, but a legal pocketknife.

The police union defended the officers and said they acted “diligently”. The union called for an independent prosecutor, something Marilyn Mosby said was not needed.

0

According to local TV station ABC7 News, Freddie Gray died from a head injury in a Baltimore police van.

Citing police sources, ABC7 News said that an injury to Freddie Gray’s head matched the shape of a bolt in the van.

Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spine injury while in police custody, sparking two weeks of protests in Baltimore which turned violent earlier this week.

His death is the latest in a series of police killings in the US which have sparked rioting and national debate.

Baltimore police have admitted that Freddie Gray was not secured in the van by a seatbelt, against department policy, and that he requested medical attention while being transported in the van but was denied.Freddie Gray head injury police van

A footage filmed by a passerby showed a visibly distressed Freddie Gray being handcuffed on the ground pushed into the back of the van. Police said he ran after seeing two officers, who chased him and arrested him when they found a switchblade-style knife in his trousers.

Freddie Gray lapsed into a coma following the journey on April 12 and died a week later.

Maryland medical examiner’s office has refused to comment on cause of death while the investigation is ongoing.

The van transporting Freddie Gray made a previously undisclosed fourth stop while en route to the police station, police revealed on April 30.

Previously, police had said the van made three stops, including one to put Freddie Gray in leg irons and another to pick up different prisoner.

The fourth stop was captured on a CCTV camera outside a Korean food shop.

0

A Baltimore Police inquiry has found that the van transporting Freddie Gray made a previously undisclosed stop while en route to the police station.

Freddie Gray suffered fatal and unexplained spinal injuries while in police custody, sparking two weeks of protests that turned violent earlier this week.

On April 30, there were rallies in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

A national debate over the use of lethal police force has been going on since the death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer.

Police investigating Freddie Gray’s death said they found out about the new van stop from a security camera.

Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said: “We discovered this new stop based on our thorough and comprehensive and on-going review of all CCTV cameras and privately owned cameras.”

“This new stop was discovered from a privately-owned camera.”Freddie Gray Baltimore

The new video was filmed by a CCTV camera outside a small Korean food shop.

The shop’s owner, Jung Hyun Hwang told the Associated Press news agency that police officers visited last week to make a copy of the recording – which was later lost when the shop was looted during the riots.

Jung Hyun Hwang said he had not viewed the recording and did not know what it showed.

Investigators have now handed over their inquiry into Freddie Gray’s death to the state’s attorney’s office.

Baltimore’s top prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby, will now decide whether to take the case to a grand jury to seek an indictment of any of the six officers involved.

After two nights of violent protests in Baltimore, Thursday was relatively calm. Baltimore is still under a curfew requiring people to be off the streets by 22:00.

Visiting Baltimore, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said the city was “not out of the woods yet”.

“There are a lot of people that have legitimate frustrations that are peacefully protesting and we want to protect those people and their right to express their feelings,” he said.

“But we’re also concerned about their safety because there are other people who just want to cause trouble.”

Freddie Gray was injured when arrested in Sandtown on April 12. He lapsed into a coma and died a week later.

Mobile phone video from a bystander shows two officers dragging Freddie Gray into the van by the arms.

According to the police timeline of the arrest, the van took 30 minutes to take him to the police station, where paramedics were called.

While in the van, Freddie Gray was requesting medical attention which he was wrongly denied, police have admitted.

They also acknowledged that Freddie Gray was not secured in the van by a seatbelt, which contravenes department policy.

A local ABC station, quoting unnamed sources, said the medical examiner has concluded that Freddie Gray received his injuries inside the van, not when he was first arrested.

Previously, police had said the van made three stops, including one to put him in leg irons and another to pick up another prisoner. The new stop makes four in total.

Five of the six officers involved in the arrest gave statements to investigators the day Freddie Gray was injured. All six have been suspended.

A separate investigation by the US Department of Justice is also under way.

0

A Baltimore mother has become an internet sensation after beating her son for throwing rocks at police during Freddie Gray riots in the city.

The woman, later identified as Toya Graham, said she turned on the evening news and saw her son, Michael, 16, on TV throwing rocks at cops in the streets during April 27 riots.

Toya Graham told CBS News of the moment she spotted her son: “I was shocked. I was angry, because you never want to see your child out there doing that.”

“At that point, I just lost it.”

She said she run to the scene, smacked some sense into Michael and half-dragged, half-shamed him back home.Baltimore Toya Graham Mom of the Year

Toya Graham’s actions, caught on video that has since gone viral, earned her praise on social media on April 28 as “Mom of the Year”.

“He knew he was in trouble,” Toya Graham told CBS.

“He said, <<When I seen you>>, he said, <<Ma, my instinct was to run>>.

“I’m a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, know I don’t play that,” she said.

When asked if hero moms like herself could help curb violence in the city, Toya Graham said: “I think so.”

“A lot of mothers have to provide for their children,” she said.

“As parents, we just have to follow through to make sure that’s where they’re supposed to be at.”

Toya Graham, meanwhile, became a social media sensation – with hundreds on Twitter hailing her under the hashtag “#momoftheyear”.

0

Several cities across the US are holding protests over Freddie Gray, whose death from injuries sustained in police custody has stoked unrest in Baltimore.

Hundreds people have gathered in New York’s Union Square, where police arrested at least 60 people.

There were also rallies in Washington DC, Boston and Minneapolis.

A national debate over the use of police force has been going on since August 2014, when black teenager Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri.

The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered fatal spinal injuries when arrested by police.

Freddie Gray’s funeral took place on April 27 and was followed by widespread rioting, arson and looting.Freddie Gray protest NYC

Since then a curfew has been in place on the streets of Baltimore from 22:00 to 05:00.

Hours before the second night of curfew, on April 29, a large march made its way through Baltimore’s streets.

In New York, where protesters said they were demonstrating in solidarity with the people of Baltimore, protesters chanted “no justice, no peace” and “hands up, don’t shoot”.

How Freddie Gray got his injuries is unclear. As well as the Department of Justice investigation, a separate internal inquiry is being conducted by the police.

The preliminary results of that police probe will not be released on May 1st, as was expected, it has emerged.

Six police officers have been suspended with pay while this investigation is carried out.

Baltimore Police fired gas to enforce a curfew on the streets, a night after violence and arson rocked the city.

After an evening of largely peaceful protests, a few hundred people defied the deadline of 22:00.

In the face of thousands of troops on the city streets, the remaining crowds later dispersed and police said the curfew was working.

The protests have gone on daily since the death of African American Freddie Gray in police custody on April 19.

Freddie Gray’s death is the latest in a string of high-profile cases where black men have died after contact with the police.

There was an outbreak of violence after Freddie Gray’s funeral on April 27, but a different atmosphere characterized the streets the following night.

Two hours after the start of the curfew, which runs from 22:00 to 05:00, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said it was working well.

Photo Getty Images

Photo Getty Images

There were “no major issues” and only 10 arrests, he said.

A few individuals threw bottles and gas canisters at police but there were no major clashes.

The National Guard had been sent to Baltimore to stop unrest for the first time since 1968, when some of the city’s neighborhoods went up in flames after the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Baltimore leaders and pastors had urged calm on April 28, after about 200 people were arrested the previous night as more than 100 cars were set alight and 15 buildings destroyed.

A mother who was filmed smacking her rioting son, instantly becoming an overnight celebrity, has spoken out about her widely praised actions.

“He knew he was in trouble,” Toya Graham told CBS News.

“I’m a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, knows I don’t play that.”

At a news conference on April 28, President Barack Obama harshly criticized the perpetrators of “senseless violence and destruction”.

Barack Obama described the issues behind the protests – the use of force by police against African American men – as a “slow-rolling crisis”.

The person hoping to follow him in the White House, fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, also spoke out, calling it “heartbreaking”.

“We have to restore order and security,” Hillary Clinton told a fundraising event in New York.

“But then we have to take a hard look as to what we need to do to reform our system.”

Freddie Gray, 25, died after suffering unexplained injuries to his spinal cord in police custody and spending a week in a coma.

0

President Barack Obama said those who looted and started fires in Baltimore “should be treated like criminals”.

He also said police violence against African-Americans is a “slow-rolling crisis” after a night of violence in Baltimore.

The Baltimore rioting came after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man fatally injured in police custody in the city.

A week-long curfew has been announced and thousands of troops have been deployed to Baltimore.

The National Guard has been sent to Baltimore to stop unrest for the first time since 1968, when some of the city’s neighborhoods went up in flames after the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

About 200 people were arrested on April 27, when more than 100 cars were set alight and 15 buildings destroyed.

Photo AP

Photo AP

Barack Obama harshly criticized “a handful of people” for “senseless violence and destruction”.

“That is not a protest, that is not a statement, they are stealing.”

However, Barack Obama said the rioting had distracted from the frustration over Freddie Gray’s death.

“This has been a slow-rolling crisis. This has been going on for a long time. This is not new. And we shouldn’t pretend that it’s new,” Barack Obama said.

The president added such problems would not be solved just by changes to policing.

“It would require everybody saying this is important, this is significant, and that we don’t just pay attention to these communities when a CVS burns and we don’t just pay attention when a young man gets shot or has his spine snapped.”

At an afternoon briefing, Baltimore Captain Eric Kowalczyk was asked why the police had not responded with more resources to prevent fires and rioting.

Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said police had originally deployed for a “high school event”, expecting young students.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country that would expect us to deploy automatic weapons and armored vehicles to an event with 13, 14 and 15 year olds,” but saw it turned into an incident that drew in older troublemakers and escalated in violence.

Out of 235 arrests, 201 were adults, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said.

He also noted there was a large group at a major intersection in Baltimore on April 28 who were protesting peacefully.

“That’s what we’re used to seeing in Baltimore.”

Volunteers and city workers began cleaning up affected areas on Tuesday morning. Smoke still rose from buildings set alight the night before.

Freddie Gray, 25, died on April 19 after suffering unexplained injuries to his spinal cord and spending a week in a coma.

Officials have suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.