Prosecutor charges 6 Baltimore officers in Gray's death

Demonstrators calling for social, economic and racial justice march. Reuters file photo

Baltimore's top prosecutor announced criminal charges today against all six officers suspended after a black man suffered a fatal spinal injury in police custody, saying "no one is above the law." The mayor later said at least five were in custody.

Maryland State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby declared that Freddie Gray's death was a homicide, his arrest was illegal, and his treatment in custody amounted to murder and manslaughter. Mosby announced the charges only hours after receiving the results of the internal police investigation and the autopsy report. As she spoke, the city was bracing for huge crowds in two more waves of protests Friday and Saturday against the latest case of an African-American to die at the hands of police.

Onlookers began to cheer and then express amazement over Mosby's announcement, which few expected so quickly.

"The findings of our comprehensive, thorough and independent investigation coupled with the medical examiner's determination that Mr. Gray's death was a homicide," Mosby said, "we have probable cause to file criminal charges."

Whoops, cheers and shouts of "Justice!" erupted on the courthouse steps and in the streets of Baltimore, which has faced nearly two weeks of growing anger over Freddie Gray's death.

"Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon," she said.

The stiffest charge second-degree "depraved heart" murder was filed against driver of the police van. The other five were charged with crimes including manslaughter, assault, false imprisonment and misconduct in office.

Fraternal Order of Police local president Gene Ryan told Mosby in a letter before the charges were announced today that none of the six suspended officers were responsible for Gray's death.

But Mosby said Gray was illegally arrested, assaulted, falsely accused of carrying an illegal weapon, and then hoisted, handcuffed, into the metal compartment of a police van without the seatbelt that all officers are told they must put on for safety of both detainees and officers.

The officers later failed to get medical help even though Gray requested it repeatedly, she said. At some point along the way, he suffered a mysterious spinal injury and died a week later.

Mosby said the illegal switchblade — which Officer Garrett E. Miller swore in a court record under penalty of perjury that he found clipped inside Gray's pants pocket after he was detained was in fact a legal knife, and provided no justification for Gray's arrest.