Freddie Gray autopsy shows his death was ruled a homicide
Autopsy Shows Gray Suffered 'High-Energy' Blow When Police Van Suddenly Decelerated
June 23, 2015 - 3:44 pm
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Protesters against police violence stop traffic at a major intersection in the Chinatown neighborhood as they begin a march towards the White House in Washington, April 29, 2015. The marchers joined the cause of those in Baltimore who said they seek answers about the fate of Freddie Gray, who died after suffering spinal injuries while in police custody. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
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Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby says six Baltimore police officers will be charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the black man who later died of injuries he sustained while in custody in Baltimore, May 1, 2015. (Reuters/Adrees Latif)
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Police are seen along Pennsylvania Avenue two days after it was looted and set ablaze in protest against the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died in police custody, in Baltimore, April 29, 2015. (Reuters/Eric Thayer)
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Gloria Darden, mother of Freddie Gray who died following an arrest by the Baltimore police department, blows a kiss to her son at his burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland April 27, 2015. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
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Mourners lay flowers on the casket of Freddie Gray, who died following an arrest by the Baltimore police department, at his burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland April 27, 2015. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
The autopsy of the Baltimore black man who died after being hurt while in police custody shows he suffered a “high-energy injury” like those in shallow-water diving accidents, the Baltimore Sun reported on Tuesday.
The spinal injury to Freddie Gray, whose death in April triggered protests and rioting, was most likely caused when the police van in which he was riding suddenly decelerated, the newspaper said. It cited a copy of the autopsy report, which has not been made public.
The state medical examiner’s office concluded that Gray’s death fit the medical and legal definition of an accident. But it ruled the death to be a homicide because officers failed to follow safety procedures “through acts of omission.”
Gray, 25, was arrested on April 12 following a foot chase by officers and suffered a severe spinal injury while in police custody.
His death a week later sparked protests over police brutality and looting and rioting that drew national and international attention to the case.
The State’s Attorney’s Office charged the six officers involved in Gray’s arrest and death. Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., the driver of the van, is accused of second-degree depraved heart murder.
Three other officers are charged with manslaughter and two officers face lesser charges. The trial is set for October, and the officers have pleaded not guilty.
Though Gray was loaded into the van on his belly, the medical examiner surmised that he may have gotten to his feet and was thrown into the wall during an abrupt change in direction, the Sun said.
He was not belted in, but his wrists and ankles were shackled, putting him “at risk for an unsupported fall during acceleration or deceleration of the van,” the newspaper said, citing the autopsy report.
The report was completed on April 30, the day before State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced the criminal charges. The deadline for releasing evidence, including the autopsy report, to defense lawyers is Friday.
Mosby said in a statement that her office did not release the report and that she condemned the leaking of information. A spokesman for the state medical examiner declined to comment.
Lawyers for the officers said in a statement that they had not seen the report and did not have a copy.