All Remaining Charges Dropped Against Cops in Freddie Gray Case

All charges have been dropped for the three remaining Baltimore officers in the Freddie Gray death case.

Earlier this year Gray, 25, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody and later died.

The death of the 25-year-old was among the high-profile deaths of black suspects at the hands of USA police that have made law enforcement tactics and police officers’ treatment of minorities into national headlines, It also fueled the rise of the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter. Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams presided over the three bench trials and was expected to oversee the remaining cases, the Baltimore Sun reported.

State attorney Marilyn Mosby defended the prosecution of six officers charged in the case and said she still blames police for the young black man’s death.

After Gray’s death, the U.S. Justice Department launched a patterns and practice investigation into allegations of widespread abuse and unlawful arrests by the Baltimore Police Department.

Baltimore’s mayor says she is surprised at the way the state’s attorney held a news conference after deciding to drop the remaining charges against officers in the Freddie Gray case.

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Michelle Dickens, 55, comforted Gray’s mother, a distraught Gloria Darden, who was surrounded by friends and neighbors in a show of support after Mosby spoke.

“This system is in need of reform when it comes to police accountability”, she said. Prosecutors were set to try three other officers starting this week including Officer Miller, as well as Sgt. Alicia White in October, and Officer William Porter, whose original trial ended in a hung jury, in September.

She declined to answer questions about the case, saying civil lawsuits had been filed against her. The victim, judge, top prosecutor and mayor are all African-American.

In May, officers White and Porter filed a defamation suit against Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore Sheriff’s Office Major Sam Cogen and the state of Maryland. But instead of pretrial motions, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow told the judge that prosecutors were dropping the charges against Miller and the other officers. She reiterated that sentiment during Wednesday’s remarks. He died April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken in the back of the van.

Richard Shipley said during a news conference Wednesday that the family “is proud to have her represent us”.

Prosecutors had said Gray was illegally arrested after he ran away from a bike patrol officer and the officers failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt or call a medic when he indicated he wanted to go to a hospital.

Gray’s mysterious death turned the largely black city near the nation’s capital into a tinderbox. “We have much more confidence in her than we have in the police because there’s never been any level of confidence, nor should there be, in the police investigating themselves”.