US prosecutor: 6 officers indicted in death of Baltimore man

[webfact]

US prosecutor: 6 officers indicted in death of Baltimore man
JULIET LINDERMAN, Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — A grand jury indicted all six officers charged in the case of an African-American whose death from injuries he suffered in police custody sparked rioting in Baltimore and nationwide protests. The indictment allows the city's top prosecutor to press ahead with the most serious charges despite criticism that she was part of an "overzealous prosecution."

The indictments announced Thursday were very similar to the charges Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced about three weeks ago. The most serious charge for each officer, ranging from second-degree "depraved heart" murder to assault, still stood, though some of the other lesser alleged offenses had changed.

Gray suffered a critical spinal injury after police handcuffed, shackled and placed him head-first into a van, Mosby has said. His pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored. Gray's death spawned protests that gave way at least twice to violence, looting and arson; Baltimore's mayor then implemented a curfew for all residents and Maryland's governor declared a state of emergency.

Mosby said prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury for the past two weeks. Some of the charges were changed based on new information, but she didn't say what that was. She also did not take questions.

"As is often the case, during an ongoing investigation, charges can and should be revised based upon the evidence," Mosby said.

In all, three of the officers had additional charges brought against them while three others had one less charge.

Attorneys for the officers have said in court documents they are the victims of an "overzealous prosecution" riddled with personal and political conflicts of interest. They said at a minimum, Mosby should be replaced with an independent prosecutor because she had a personal interest in calming unrest in the city that followed Gray's death and because her husband is a city councilman.

Gray was arrested April 12. He died in a hospital a week later and became a symbol of what protesters say was police brutality against blacks.

Two officers, Edward Nero and Garrett Miller, were indicted on second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

Caesar Goodson, who drove the transport van, faces manslaughter and a second-degree "depraved heart" murder charge. Sgt. Alicia White, Lt. Brian Rice and officer William Porter are each charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

Gray was arrested in West Baltimore. According to court documents, he made eye contact with a police officer and took off running. He was apprehended two blocks away and arrested for possession of a knife that Miller wrote in charging documents is illegal under a city ordinance.

Mosby said the arrest was unlawful because the knife is legal under state law.

None of the officers secured Gray's seatbelt in the van, a violation of police policy. Soon after he was placed in the van, Goodson stopped to secure him with leg irons because Gray had become "irate," police said.

After a ride that included several more stops, including one to pick up a second passenger, the van arrived at the Western District station house. By that time, Gray was non-responsive.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-22

[MaxYakov]

Murder Comes to Baltimore as Police Back Off - Total Conservative

"The protests, rioting, and looting may have abated, but black Baltimore resident
s are being murdered at an alarming rate. In 30 days, more than 30 people have
been killed, giving the city one of the worst murder rates in the country.

“In any other community, these numbers would be jaw-dropping,” Reverend Jamal Bryant

told the Washington Post."

Edited May 22, 2015 by MaxYakov

[Nobb]

Three black policemen and three white polices so why do black in Baltimore try to burn down city. The mayor of Baltimore told the police to stand back. The mayor is also black. Many rioters will keep voting for her when there furniture and appliances get old! So sad!

Edited May 22, 2015 by Nobb

[chuckd]

I realize we have a new "white cop beats black civilian" thread for the liberals to vent on, but the Baltimore case is taking some rather strange turns lately.

Prosecuting attorney Marilyn Mosby is filing for a gag order to keep all information from the public. No transparency here.

The problem with the filing was:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Marilyn Mosby Filed Gag Order Motion IN THE WRONG COURT

CHUCK ROSS

Reporter

1:01 PM 06/09/2015

Baltimore city state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby’s motion for a gag order in the Freddie Gray case was denied Monday because the prosecutor filed paperwork in the wrong court.

Mosby’s May 14 motion, filed in Baltimore’s circuit court, was intended to block witnesses, attorneys and police from speaking publicly about the Gray case. Six officers have been indicted on a total of 28 felony charges related to Gray’s April 12 arrest. The 25-year-old Gray died April 19. His death was ruled a homicide.

Judge Charles Peters slapped down Mosby’s motion, citing jurisdictional issues, The Baltimore Sun reported. The cases for the six officers were still on the district court’s docket when the motion was filed. The cases were only moved to the circuit court on May 21, after a grand jury indicted the officers.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/09/marilyn-mosby-filed-gag-order-motion-in-the-wrong-court/#ixzz3cmCUJmUe

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Then this little "oopsie" came out:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Email: Marilyn Mosby ORDERED Cops To Ramp Up Drug Patrols In Area Where Freddie Gray Was Arrested

CHUCK ROSS

Reporter

4:34 PM 06/09/2015

In March, Marilyn Mosby directed Baltimore police to ramp up narcotics patrols with increased “targeting” at an intersection near where Freddie Gray was later arrested, according to an email from an official in the Baltimore city state’s attorney’s office.

“State’s Attorney Mosby asked me to look into community concerns regarding drug dealing in the area of North Ave and Mount St,” wrote Joshua Rosenblatt, the division chief of Crime Strategies Unit, in a March 17 email to Western District police commander Major Osborne Robinson, a Western District police commander.

The Baltimore Sun reported the email, which was contained in a motion filed Tuesday by the attorneys for the six officers arrested for Gray’s April 12 arrest and his April 19 death. Gray was arrested after running from police just two blocks from the intersection identified for targeting by Mosby.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/09/email-marilyn-mosby-ordered-cops-to-ramp-up-drug-patrols-in-area-where-freddie-gray-was-arrested/#ixzz3cmDIvSav

-------------------------------------------------------------------

So now we have a situation best described by those famous words..."Houston, we have a problem".

It seems our prosecuting attorney might be called as a defense witness in a trial which she is personally prosecuting.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Cops’ Attorneys: Baltimore Prosecutor Is Potential Witness in Freddie Gray Case

By Barbara Hollingsworth | June 10, 2015 | 2:21 PM EDT

(CNSNews.com) – Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby should either drop charges against six Baltimore police officers or recuse herself from the Freddie Gray case because she is a potential witness, defense attorneys argued in a court motion on Tuesday.

The Baltimore Sun reports that according to the motion, Mosby’s office ordered the police department to step up drug enforcement efforts at the same corner where 25-year-old Gray was arrested three weeks later.

Gray’s death on April 19 sparked major rioting and looting in Baltimore in which hundreds of protesters were arrested. Nearly 100 police officers were injured in the melee. The Maryland National Guard was called up and a citywide curfew was imposed before order was restored.

Article continues here: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-hollingsworth/cops-attorneys-baltimore-prosecutor-potential-witness-freddie

------------------------------------------------------------------

This is what 50 years of Democratic leadership gets you.

[F430murci]

(CNN)Forty-two people were killed in Baltimore in May, making it the deadliest month there since 1972.

When asked what's behind that number, a Baltimore police officer gave an alarming answer. Basically, he said, the good guys are letting the bad guys win.

"The criminal element feels as though that we're not going to run the risk of chasing them if they are armed with a gun, and they're using this opportunity to settle old beefs, or scores, with people that they have conflict with," the officer said. "I think the public really, really sees that they asked for a softer, less aggressive police department, and we have given them that, and now they are realizing that their way of thinking does not work."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/10/us/baltimore-police-officers-interview/

[F430murci]

"They feel as though, if I make a mistake -- which we all do make mistakes -- then what is this administration going to do to me?" he told CNN's Miguel Marquez. "Am I going to be the next one to be suspended? Am I going to be the next one who is going to be criminally charged?"

One officer called the union leader to ask if he'd be liable if a suspect he was chasing ran into traffic and got hit by a car, Butler said. He couldn't answer the question, so the officer told Butler he'd stop pursuing suspects on foot for now.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/10/us/baltimore-police-officers-interview/