All 6 officers in Freddie Gray case appear in court

Five of the six officers charged in Gray’s death gave statements to the department.

Tuesday morning, the judge will hear motions in the Freddie Gray case, deciding whether to allow certain evidence that could have a major impact on the fate of the officers. They are also protected by the state Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which affords protections to officers accused of misconduct, as well as by legal precedent.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced charges against the six officers May 1, and they were later indicted by a grand jury.

The hearing before Circuit Judge Barry Williams begins Tuesday and could last two days.

The officers are asking that the reckless endangerment charge be dropped.

Officer William Porter faces the first in the series of high-stakes trials November 30.

After Gray’s funeral in late April, there were riots in parts of Baltimore City, drawing the National Guard to help quell the unrest.

At one point Judge Williams ordered White’s lawyer to “be quiet” when he tried to interrupt Bledsoe’s questioning of Sgt. Tashawna Gaines, who was the supervisor of the two detectives who interviewed White.

White’s attorney, Ivan Bates, argued that she wasn’t aware she’d become a suspect after initially being interviewed as a witness and that she only initialed the Miranda rights on April 17 because a detective interviewing her said that wouldn’t waive her rights.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Porter reportedly told investigators that Gray asked for medical attention, but he wondered if the 25-year-old man was faking his injuries. A sixth defendant, Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., declined to speak to investigators. His death a week later triggered rioting and looting in the largely black city and fueled a USA debate on police treatment of minorities. Nero and Miller face second-degree assault and related charges, while Porter, Rice and White have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and other counts.

The accusations against the officers stem from the April 12 arrest of Gray, 25.

But lawyers now claim those who gave interviews were not read their rights and feared they’d lose their jobs if they refused to talk to internal police investigators.

The hearings may bring forth details about what was said in the contested police statements, but are more likely to focus on the specific procedures investigators used to gather the statements, legal experts told The Baltimore Sunday.

The rest of the trials are scheduled for early next year.