One of Six Officers Charged Has Just Been Acquitted
Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero is not guilty in the death of Freddie Gray, a judge has just ruled. Gray who was 25 when he died on April 19, 2015, had lived for a week with a broken neck and fatal spinal cord injury after being shackled and handcuffed by police in the back on a van. Officers had not restrained him with a seat belt, allowing him to be flung about the van every time it moved or stopped.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams cleared Nero of all charges.
“Nero, 30, was facing misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault and two counts of misconduct in office for his part in Gray’s arrest. He was also charged with reckless endangerment,” the Huffington Post reports.
Nero is the second officer to be tried and not convicted. The trial of Baltimore Police Officer William Porter last December ended in a hung jury.
“While prosecutors argued that Nero arrested Gray without probable cause and was negligent when he didn’t buckle Gray into the van, a defense attorney said Nero didn’t arrest Gray and it was the responsibility of the driver to buckle Gray in,” MSNBC adds. “The defense also argued that the officers who responded that day acted responsibly. Gray was charged after his arrest with possession of a switchblade.”
UPDATE I: 11:35 AM EDT –
Baltimore Mayor releases statement:
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Images (left, right) by scottlum via Flickr and a CC license