BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Death of Freddie Gray
| BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY |
| Date | Incident began April 12, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Type | Death in police custody |
| Cause | Spinal cord injury |
| Filmed by | Two witnesses to arrest |
| Participants | Freddie Gray (death) Six Baltimore police officers |
| Inquiries | U.S. Department of Justice Baltimore Police Department |
Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man, died of a spinal injury on April 19, 2015. A week earlier, police had taken Gray into custody in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.[1] Within an hour of his arrest, police had transported him to a trauma clinic, and he was in a coma.
The incident has led to protests in Baltimore. Six Baltimore police officers have been suspended with pay.[2]
Background
Freddie Gray was 25 years old, and had two sisters. As children, he and his sisters were found to have lead poisoning in their blood levels.[3] According to a 2008 lawsuit against a Sandtown-Winchester housing complex where Gray and his sisters lived, the lead poisoning caused medical, behavioral, and educational problems for the children. Terms of the settlement were not publicly revealed.[3]
At the time of his death, Gray lived in the Gilmor Homes neighborhood. He stood 5 feet and 8 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds. Gray had a criminal record, mainly for drug-related offenses.[4]
Details of arrest and death
Police encountered Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015, in an area of Baltimore a police spokesman said was known for drug deals and violent crimes.[5] He ran; according to court documents Gray "fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence".[1] Police chased and tackled Gray, found a switchblade in his pocket, and took him into custody at 8:40 a.m.[1]
Two bystanders captured Gray's arrest with video recordings.[6]
According to the police timeline, Gray was in a transport van within 11 minutes of his arrest, and within 30 minutes "units request paramedics to the Western District to transport the suspect to an area hospital."[5] He was taken to the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, in a coma within an hour of being taken into police custody.[5][7]
The statement of charges filed by Officer Garrett Miller against Gray accused him of possessing a switchblade. Miller wrote, "The defendant was arrested without force or incident."[8] Officers also reported "that he suffered a medical emergency during transport".[9]
In the following week, according to the Gray family attorney, Gray died, was resuscitated, remained in a coma, and underwent extensive surgery in an effort to save his life.[5]According to his family, he lapsed into a coma after his spine was "80% severed" at his neck, he had three fractured vertebrae, and his larynx was injured.[2][10] He died the following Sunday, April 19, 2015.[1]
Subsequent events
The Baltimore Police Department suspended six officers pending an investigation of Gray's death.[1] On April 24, 2015, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said, "We know our police employees failed to get him medical attention in a timely manner multiple times."[11] Batts also acknowledged police did not follow procedure when they failed to buckle Gray in the van while he was being transported to the police station.[11]
By April 21, 2015, according to Reuters, "[h]undreds of demonstrators gathered in Baltimore" to protest Gray's death.[6]
On April 25, 2015, peaceful protests were organized in downtown Baltimore. Protesters marched from the Baltimore City Hall to Inner Harbor. After the final stage of the official protest event, some protesters became violent. They damaged at least five police vehicles, and several people shoved police officers and threw various objects at the police. At least twelve people were arrested.[12]
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