BALTIMORE — Baltimore prosecutors, in an unexpected announcement, said Friday they had probable cause to file homicide, manslaughter and misconduct charges against police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, who died after sustaining a spinal cord injury while in police custody.
In a news conference, the state’s attorney, Marilyn J. Mosby, described repeated mistreatment of Mr. Gray. Time and again, she said, police officers mistreated him, arresting him without grounds and violating police procedure by putting him in handcuffs and leg restraints in the van without putting a seatbelt him.
Ms. Mosby also said the officers had repeatedly failed to seek medical attention for Mr. Gray after he was injured. By the time he was removed from the van, she said, “Mr. Gray was no longer breathing at all.”
The death, Ms. Mosby said, is believed to be the result of an injury Mr. Gray sustained while riding in the van without a seatbelt.
As she announced the charges at the War Memorial here, there was cheering from people in the crowd. Dozens of police officers dressed in riot gear stood nearby.
Ms. Mosby said six officers would be charged, one with second-degree murder. She said warrants had been issued for the officers’ arrests; she said she did not know if anyone was in custody.
“We have probable cause to file criminal charges,” Ms. Mosby said.
She said that the knife the police say Mr. Gray was carrying was not a cause for arrest. “The knife was not a switch-bladed and it is lawful.” She said officers had “failed to establish probable cause for an arrest.”
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