Man in Baltimore Police Custody Dies After Neck Broken
BALTIMORE – April 20 (UPI) — A man whose neck was broken while in custody of Baltimore police has died, as protesters and the city’s mayor demand to know what happened.
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Freddie Gray was arrested after he ran from police.
William Murphy, a lawyer for Gray’s family, 27, said Gray’s spine was 80 percent severed at the neck while in police custody.
He added Gray was healthy before his arrest “without any evidence he had committed a crime,” and that “his take-down and arrest without probable cause occurred under a police video camera, which taped everything including the police dragging and throwing Freddy into a police vehicle while he screamed in pain.”
The incident provoked demonstrations at a police station by about 100 people over two days, demanding to know the details of Gray’s arrest and death.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake promised a response Sunday, saying, “How was Mr. Gray injured? Were our proper protocols and procedures actually followed? What are the next steps? Right now, we’re still collecting details surrounding the incident, but I want our residents to know that we will get the answers.”
Police will organize a task force to investigate, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said.
A timeline of events, prepared by police, indicated Gray was stopped on the morning of April 12 by four bicycle officers for an undisclosed offense, and that Gray ran from them. He was caught and restrained, and conscious when he was put into a police van.
Medics were called after the van reached the nearby police station, and Gray was hospitalized immediately thereafter.
