Baltimore prosecutor files charges in Freddie Gray Case

[Burning_Ember]

Press conference just now from WBAL in Baltimore.

 

They state that Gray was illegally arrested. That the weapon he was carrying was lawful under Maryland law.

 

Prosecutor states that Gray was unsedcured and placed headfirst into the police van. Resulting in a critical neck injury, against a BPD general order, at least five times.

 

After repeatedly asking for medical help, no medical care was rendered.

 

Mention of gross negligence. 

 

Medic was only called when Gray stopped breathing and in cardiac arrest.

 

Manner of death deemed homicide.

 

Charges include 2nd degree depraved heart murder, manslaughter, misconduct in office, involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, false imprisonment.

 

Prosecutors usually only file charges they think they can get in cases like this.

[Guest shiloh357]

These charges, not a conviction.   This will go to trial and the evidence will be weighed.   Unfortunately, this announcement will not curb the violence.

[Burning_Ember]

Correct me if I was wrong, but I thought you said there was no evidence of any wrongdoing.

[Alejandro84]

These are charges that I believe the officers involved should be convicted of.

[Guest shiloh357]

BE,

 

What I said at the time was the evidence had not yet been presented and we need to wait until all of the evidence presented to us before rushing to judgment.

 

I realize you   are just giddy over this announcement but these are just charges, and we have not seen the evidence yet and since these officers are innocent until proven guilty, we will see what happens.

 

Remember, you  have been on here trying to lecture us about our own jurisprudence (even when it is clear that you don't know squat), telling us about "innocent 'till proven guilty and you are now going to have to apply that same standard here.     So far you have been the one trying to rush to judgment, like you did in the Ferguson case where Officer Wilson was guilty in your book and you didn't want to accept the court's findings because you had already decided that Wilson was racist and killed Brown out of racist motives.

 

You are making the same rush to judgment here and your last line  in your OP presumes the guilt  the six officers before they have even been to trial.  So you are violating the principles you have tried to lecture us on, in the past.    

[Guest shiloh357]

Fortunately, Alejandro...    We have a system of jurisprudence that affords everyone  a fair trial and assumes innocence until proof of guilt in a court of law.   You would want that afforded to you  and so it is wrong of you to assume guilt before any evidence as been presented.

[Burning_Ember]

The last line in the OP is a simple statement of fact. Prosecutors file charges that they think they can get.

[Alejandro84]

If it were me I would confess my guilt of abuse of power. Clearly his spine didn't snap by his own doing or happen spontaneously on its own, and clearly he was wrongfully imprisoned for charges of allegedly possessing a knife, and clearly he did not assault any officers that would warrant such accessive force that would damage his back spine and then fall into a coma. For someone to look at the facts already known is not judging before it's time. Only what's left is judgment in regards to the extent of punishment to be issued, of that I can't pass judgment, for that's for the judge and jury to decide. One thing one shouldn't do is look at a battered and bruised body of a 25 year old and not see the physical evidence that's clear as day.

If the police report says suspect assaulted an officer than I can find cause for them to use force to defend and protect themselves, but if not , why was the small frame body of a 25 year old treated that way?

[Guest shiloh357]

Alejandro,

 

His injuries were self-inflicted and the police were negligent in handling him.   That is what happened.   He was not murdered by the police.   The police botched this up apparently.  But we will see just what happened when the evidence comes to light.   

 

The prosecutor is not infallible and charges are not a conviction.   You don't have any real facts.   You have what has been reported by the media.   But "facts"  evolve as more evidence comes to light.  There were "facts"  in the Michael Brown case that turned out to be false.       To think you have all the facts you need is precisely the kind of injustice our system is designed to avoid.

[Guest shiloh357]

BE,

 

Prosecutors routinely lose cases they thought they could win.   Charges are basically meaningless until more facts and evidence comes to light.