Baltimore officer’s defense opens at trial

The trial of a Baltimore police officer charged in connection with the custody death of Freddie Gray is slated to begin Thursday with opening statements.

Schatzow told Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams that Rice “wasn’t an inexperienced officer” and was well aware of his duty to make sure he or other officers belted Gray in to ensure his safety. Rice is the fourth of six officers charged in Gray’s death to go on trial. The trial of Officer William Porter ended in a mistrial.

Residents protest the death of Freddie Gray outside Baltimore City Hall in April 2015.

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Before their opening statement Thursday at the trial of Lt. Brian Rice, prosecutors told the judge they would not go forward on one of two charges of misconduct in office.

Police Capt. Martin Bartness said earlier Thursday that as a commander, Rice was responsible for distributing the seatbelt policy, but he also testified that he has no proof Rice was aware of the rules himself.

Defense attorneys contend that none of the lieutenant’s actions were criminal, saying police at the time routinely transported detainees without seat belts.

“Because of the decisions that Lieutenant Rice made that day, Mr Gray is dead”, said chief prosecutor Michael Schatzow, Reuters reported.

Testimony is now underway at the trial of Baltimore Police Lt. Brian Rice, the highest ranking city police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Ball said Gray was “banging and belligerent, kicking and combative”, at the time Rice placed him in the van at the first of six stops made between his arrest and the Western District Police Station, where Gray was found unresponsive.

Although the state dropped one of the minor charges against Rice-the misconduct charge associated with the arrest in which he was not involved-they continue to pursue charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and a second misconduct in office charge.

Williams was likely to clear Rice unless a police trainer or Rice himself testified that he had been taught a different procedure for securing arrestees, he said.

Prosecutors contend officers did not do enough to get Gray medical aid after he was injured while handcuffed but not buckled into a seat in the back of the van.

Two other police officers, Caesar Goodson Jr. and Edward M. Nero, were acquitted.

Rice faces charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment.

Prosecutors will argue the arrest was illegal, and therefore any physical contact Rice had with Gray amounts to a crime.

The other two officers charged, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer Garrett Miller, filed motions to dismiss their cases last month.