The state attorney in Baltimore has filed criminal charges against all six police officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray (25), whose death after suffering a fatal spinal injury in custody sparked riots.
State prosecutor Marilyn Mosby told reporters that a two-week investigation by her office, combined with a medical examiner's determination that Mr Gray's death was "a homicide", led her to believe that the city had "probable cause to file criminal charges."
News of the charges led to cheers from residents and honking horns on Baltimore’s streets, scenes of celebration in stark contrast to the violent confrontations between rioters and police that ravaged the city earlier this week.
Ms Mosby said Mr Gray was handcuffed with his hands behind his back and his legs restrained and that he suffered a fatal spinal injury in the back of a police van. She found that he had not been buckled into a seat in the van.
Neck injury
The young man, who was arrested after making eye contact with police and running away, “suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed and shackled by his feet, unrestricted inside” of the van, she said.
The officers face up to 63 years in prison on charges that include "second-degree depraved heart murder" and manslaughter by vehicle against Officer Caesar Goodson Jr, who drove the van in which Mr Gray was placed.
He was found unresponsive in the back of the van about 30 minutes after his arrest on the morning of April 12th. He died a week later.
Ms Mosby said that officers Lieut Brian Rice, Officer Garrett Miller and Officer Edward Nero "illegally arrested" Mr Gray after failing to establish probable cause. They had found a knife hidden on him but the weapon was "lawful under Maryland law," she said.
She told a news conference in Baltimore that the officers failed to provide Mr Gray with medical attention,despite his repeated requests for help. The state’s attorney, at 35 one of the youngest prosecutors in the US, called for calm in response to the charges.
"I heard your call for 'No justice, no peace," she told demonstrators, referring to the chant in protests against incidents of police brutality in Baltimore, New York and Ferguson, Missouri. "Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice for this young man."
Speaking at a press freedom discussion, US president Barack Obama said, “What I think the people of Baltimore want more than anything else is the truth. That’s what people around the country expect.”
