Baltimore has suspended six police officers with pay as authorities said Monday they would continue to investigate a man’s death following a spinal injury he apparently sustained while in custody.
Officials held a news conference to update a frustrated community that is demanding answers to what they perceive as another instance of excessive police force. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she understands the community’s concerns and shares their frustrations.
“I’m angry that we’re here again, that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead,” Rawlings-Blake said. “I’m frustrated not only that we’re here, but that we don’t have all the answers.”
The news conference comes one day after the death of Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured after an arrest on April 12. Gray was stopped after running away from an area where he saw a police presence, and a pocket knife was found in his pants pocket, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Gray had an injured spinal cord, but officials said an autopsy has not revealed evidence of how the physical trauma occurred. On Sunday, a lawyer for Gray’s family said in a statement that Gray had fallen into a coma after his spine was 80% “severed at his neck.”
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that an independent board would review the case after the investigation is concluded by May 1.
Witness Protests in Baltimore Over the Death of Freddie Gray
Demonstrators put their fists in the air during a protest against police brutality and the death of Freddie Gray outside the Baltimore Police Western District station in the Sandtown neighborhood of Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesTen-year-old Robert Dunn uses a megaphone to address hundreds of demonstrators during a protest against police brutality and the death of Freddie Gray outside the Baltimore Police Western District station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesProtesters argue with Baltimore Police officers outside the Western District police station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesDemonstrators and police officers wrestle over a metal barricade outside the Baltimore Police Western District station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesEdward Mazyck joins hundreds of other protesters marching through Baltimore on April 21, 2015.Matt Roth—The New York Times/ReduxDemonstrators pretend to be arrested in front of the Baltimore Police Department Western District station to protest against the death in police custody of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on April 23, 2015.Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersBaltimore Police officers keep demonstrators back while standing guard outside the Western District station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesA child watches protesters march for Freddie Gray in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Patrick Semansky—APProtestors walk toward Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station during a march and vigil over the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on April 21, 2015.Drew Angerer—Getty ImagesChildren riding bikes look on as protesters march on Laurens Street in Baltimore on April 21, 2015.Drew Angerer—Getty ImagesA marcher embraces Baltimore Police Lt. Col. Melvin T. Russell, in front of the department's Western District police station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Alex Brandon—APProtestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station in Baltimore on April 21, 2015.Drew Angerer—Getty ImagesProtestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station in Baltimore on April 21, 2015.Drew Angerer—Getty ImagesA protester holds a sign during a rally for Freddie Gray outside Baltimore Police Department Western District station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015.Sait Serkan Gurbuz—CorbisA protester wearing a Baltimore Ravens cap covers his face during a rally for Freddie Gray outside Baltimore Police Department Western District station in Baltimore on April 22, 2015. Sait Serkan Gurbuz—CorbisDemonstrators march to City Hall to protest against the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, in Baltimore on April 25, 2015. Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersA demonstrator confronts police near Camden Yards during a protest in Baltimore on April 25, 2015. Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersProtesters attack Baltimore police cars and suspected police cars during a demonstration against police brutality in downtown Baltimore on April 25, 2015.Jay Mallin—Zuma PressLaw enforcement officers detain a demonstrator on Gilmore Avenue near Baltimore Police Department Western District during a protest against the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, in Baltimore on April 25, 2015.Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersA demonstrator confronts law enforcement officers near Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore on April 25, 2015.Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersLaw enforcement officers stand guard near Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore on April 25, 2015.Sait Serkan Gurbuz—ReutersA protestor lays in the middle of a street during a march for Freddie Gray in Baltimore on April 25, 2015.Patrick Semansky—AP
