Colleagues of officer charged in Gray’s death: Seat belts rarely used in

Matthew Wood, a three-year police veteran, testified for the defense that he heard yelling inside the wagon during the first stop. With no eyewitnesses and no unequivocal evidence as to how and when Gray suffered the spinal injury that killed him, the trial could come down to Porter’s word against prosecutor’s assertion that he “callously” disregarded Gray’s request for medical aid, and intentionally left him unrestrained and vulnerable to injury in the back of the transport van.

Porter, who was driving a patrol auto, responded to calls for assistance at some of the van stops. When asked if Gray said he couldn’t breathe at the van’s fourth stop, Porter said, “absolutely not”. He said Gray helped lift himself – hardly the behavior of someone with a broken neck.

Had the injury occurred at stop four, at Druid Hill Avenue and Dolphin Street, when Porter opened the van doors and asked Gray if he needed medical attention, Gray “could not say he’s short of breath because he would not be able to speak”, Ammerman testified.

Officer Mark Gladhill is the sixth defense witness to testify on behalf of Porter. Prosecutors say Porter was criminally negligent for ignoring departmental policy requiring officers to seat belt prisoners, and for failing to call a medic immediately after Gray indicated he needed aid. He also said Gray could use his legs and support his own weight. “I’m actually offended that you would say something like that”. Gray was given a ride in a van.

Gladhill testified that when he saw Gray, on the fifth stop, before he arrived at the station, Gray was not resting his head against anything and was holding his head up.

When did Gray break neck?

“Police officers make discretionary decisions every day”, he said.

Following a dramatic day of testimony Wednesday, the trial resumed Thursday morning with Porter’s attorneys calling Ammerman to the stand.

They say Porter should have realized something was wrong and called a medic.

“Everything a police officer does is based on what is objectively reasonable under the circumstances at the time”, Longo said.

Washington, D.C., neurosurgeon Matthew Ammerman was an expert witness Thursday at Officer William Porter’s trial.

In cross-examination, Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow, after posing questions about medical specifics, asked in plain terms: “Would agree that the injury was suffered while in the van in police custody?”

So, according to Longo, when Porter checked on Gray during a stop and helped him onto a bench, there was no real obligation to secure Gray because he had been combative.

Ammerman also testified that Gray’s injuries were so severe he likely wouldn’t have survived even if he received immediate medical attention.

Porter is facing manslaughter and other charges in the death of Gray, who injured his spine in the back of the police van. One banner read, “Jobs and Education, Not Police Terror” and “Black Lives Matter”.

When the defense wraps up its case, both sides will have the option of presenting rebuttal witnesses, before each side presents closing arguments to the jury, . Prosecutors rested their case earlier this week after 16 witnesses and five days of testimony. Porter took the stand Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 in his own defense. Prisoners were never secured with seat belts during field training, and though cadets were instructed to secure prisoners with seat belts, they were not shown how, Porter said.

Porter, who is also black, told jurors that when Gray was arrested, he overheard him screaming and mentioning something about needing an inhaler.

Gray was a 25-year-old black man who died April 19, a week after his neck was broken during a 45-minute ride in the back of a police transport van.

Porter is charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment in connection with Gray’s death in April.