Baltimore officer acquitted over Freddie Gray death

BALTIMORE: The Baltimore policeman facing the most serious charges in the death of Freddie Gray was acquitted Thursday, in a case that sparked riots last year and fuelled a national debate over how US police treat young black men.
This time the trial was for the officer who drove the van in which Gray was being taken to a police station and suffered an ultimately fatal spine injury.
Caesar Goodson was acquitted on all charges including second degree murder and manslaughter.
Goodson was the third of six officers charged over the death of the 25-year-old, which triggered riots in Maryland's largest city last year. No guilty verdicts have been handed down in the three trials.
Because the state failed to meet its burden of proof in any of the seven charges against Goodson, "the verdict on all counts is not guilty," Judge Barry Williams, who presided over the case, told a packed court room.
Gray was arrested April 12, 2015 after fleeing at the sight of police, and suffered a broken spine while being transported in the back of a Baltimore police van, unsecured and with his hands and feet bound. He died a week later.
Williams had challenged state prosecutors' charge that Goodson had deliberately given Gray a "rough ride" in the back of the van, saying the state provided insufficient evidence of such "actions or intent" by Goodson.
Baltimore officials this week appealed for calm in the city ahead of the verdict, stressing authorities were prepared. The National Guard was on call.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the officer would now face an administrative review and appealed for patience in allowing the process to run its course.
"I know the citizens of Baltimore will continue to respect the judicial process and the ruling of the court," she said.
Baltimore's police union said state's attorney Marilyn Mosby's failure to convict anyone in the first three trials shows she over-reached with her "malicious prosecution" and urged her to drop all charges against the remaining officers.
"It is time to put this sad chapter behind us," said Lieutenant Gene Ryan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3.
Protesters were seething outside the courthouse, where several dozen people held up signs and demanded justice for Gray.
"There will be another rebellion because people are not going to stand by and stand for killer cops killing black people, brown people, poor people at will. They think that black lives don't mean a goddamn thing," said Baltimore resident Lee Patterson.
Two dozen police officers and sheriff's deputies stood on the sidewalk and street outside the court, as people held up yellow signs reading "Jobs not police killings." Police helicopters hovered over the city.
'No credible evidence'
Judge Williams dwelled on the dispute between medical experts over exactly when Gray's critical injury occurred, saying his injuries were internal, thereby making it impossible to determine where and when they were sustained.
The judge also declined to convict Goodson for assault or reckless endangerment for failing to seatbelt Gray in the back of the van. He said Goodson assessed the danger level during the detention and determined there was an excessive security risk involved in entering the van and fastening Gray's seatbelt.
"Simple carelessness is insufficient to establish the defendant's guilt," Williams said.
"There has been no credible evidence presented at this trial that the defendant intended for any crime to happen."
Goodson's seven charges included second degree depraved heart murder, manslaughter by vehicle, second degree assault and reckless endangerment.
In Penn North, the low-income neighbourhood where Gray's death triggered riots, looting and arson last year, the streets were calm, although protests were planned for later in the evening.
Tony Brooks was resigned to the police abuse, but still shocked at how regular it has become.
"This ain't the first time it's happened in Baltimore. It ain't gonna never stop," Brooks, who works at a city sports arena, told AFP.
"They're supposed to uphold the law and protect us, but they're killing – and they're getting off free with it. New York, Texas, Cleveland," he said, citing recent cases of police brutality.
The two other officers tried in Gray-related cases – William Porter, whose trial ended in a hung jury in December, and Edward Nero, who was acquitted of all charges in May – were reportedly in the court room and seen hugging and shaking hands after the verdict.
Two other officers face trial next month and the final officer in September. — AFP