Freddie Gray case: Jurors in deadlock; judge says keep deliberating

A Baltimore jury resumes deliberations today after ending its second day without a verdict in the manslaughter trial of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

After 10 hours of deliberations that began Monday afternoon, jury members sent a note to Williams on Tuesday afternoon indicating that they were deadlocked. He also faces charges of assault, endangerment and misconduct.

The jury in the #PorterTrial sent note 2 judge they are deadlocked.

He’s the first of six officers to stand trial on charges stemming from Gray’s arrest and death from a broken neck.

“I assured his family that no one is above the law and I would pursue justice on their behalf”, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby, an African American, told reporters on June 24.

The Baltimore Sheriff’s Office has obtained a “special event” permit to clear a sidewalk in front of a courthouse where the trial of a city police officer is under way. Namely, that what occurred in April was “not a riot but an uprising”, and stressed that protests are not simply about police brutality but in protest of poverty, poor living conditions, and the resources diverted from neighborhoods like the one where Freddie Gray grew up. But unrest broke out on the day of his funeral, bringing a curfew and the National Guard to the streets, and fueling the “Black Lives Matter” protest movement that has increased scrutiny of how police treat minorities.

Jurors adjourned for the night without reaching a verdict in the trial of an officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

Gray was arrested while fleeing police in his neighbourhood, just seven city blocks from the police station, yet police stopped the van repeatedly during a circuitous trip around West Baltimore that stretched on for 45 minutes. The defense previously argued to move Porter’s trial out of Baltimore, saying it would be impossible to seat an impartial jury.

Williams said it wouldn’t be appropriate to query the jury about the letter.

Porter testified he told the driver, Goodson, that Gray had asked to go to a hospital, and Porter emphasized in court that Gray was in Goodson’s custody. If they can not, Williams will be forced to declare a mistrial on the undecided counts, leaving it to prosecutors to decide whether to retry the case.

Prosecutors say Porter was criminally negligent for ignoring a policy requiring officers to strap prisoners in with a seat belt, and for not calling an ambulance immediately after Gray indicated he needed medical aid. On Tuesday morning they asked for an easel, sticky notes and some water – and for the judge to give them the transcript of Porter’s interview with internal affairs investigators.