Freddie Gray case: Jury deliberation begins in case against Baltimore officer accused of involunt...

Source: Washington Post

BALTIMORE —After hearing two weeks of passionate legal arguments and dramatic witness testimony, a jury of seven women and five men have begun deliberating the charges against William G. Porter, the first Baltimore police officer being tried in Freddie Gray’s death.

The city, meanwhile, has long braced for this day. Many in Gray’s neighborhood fear that if all, several or even one officer is acquitted, the verdict could ignite riots similar to those that exploded in April. The Baltimore Police Department has banned officers from taking leave this week and is prepared to request help from neighboring law enforcement agencies if necessary.

Gray, 25, was arrested April 12 after he ran from police in his West Baltimore neighborhood. Prosecutors say he suffered a serious spine injury while being transported in the back of a van in which his hands and feet were shackled but he wore no seat belt. Though it is unclear how exactly Gray got hurt, medical experts for both sides likened his injury to those sustained when someone dives headfirst into a shallow pool of water.

After two weeks, more than 20 witnesses and about 100 pieces of evidence, a pair of conflicting narratives vied to explain Porter’s actions that day.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/freddie-gray-case-closing-arguments-scheduled-today-in-trial-of-william-porter/2015/12/14/8f56fbed-061a-4081-a579-9cb633e37d4f_story.html

---

Full title: Freddie Gray case: Jury deliberation begins in case against Baltimore officer accused of involuntary manslaughter

By Lynh Bui, Julie Zauzmer, Rachel Weiner and John Woodrow Cox December 14 at 3:16 PM