Baltimore Officer Not Guilty in Death of Freddie Gray

BALTIMORE, MD — Judge Barry Williams announced a verdict Monday in the trial of Officer Edward Nero, one of six officers charged after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died from injuries sustained in the back of a police van.

Nero, 30, was found not guilty of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in death of Freddie Gray, who was arrested last April and died a week later.

Political leaders and the police department urged calm and respect for the judicial process with more officer trials pending, while the City of Baltimore's police union cheered the not-guilty verdict and condemned the prosecutions.

Following the verdict, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that Nero will face an administrative review by the police department.

"We once again ask the citizens to be patient and to allow the entire process to come to a conclusion," she wrote in a statement.

After Gray's death led to rioting in the city last year, the mayor said Monday that city police are prepared to respond to any disturbance.

"We will protect our neighborhoods, our businesses and the people of our city," she wrote.

The attorney for Gray's family, Billy Murphy, told media outside of the courtroom that it was a tough case and the judge did a good job of keeping the trial to the key questions.

Nero will remain on administrative duty during the internal investigation, according to a Baltimore Police statement. Handled by outside agencies, the internal investigation won't be completed until the criminal cases have been completed.

The Baltimore city police union issued a statement saying Officer Nero is relieved that the nightmare of a trial and false accusation of wrongdoing is over for him.

“His relief is tempered by the fact that five other police officers, outstanding men and women, and good friends, must continue to fight these baseless prosecutions,” the union says. “None of these officer did anything wrong.”

The police union charges that the state’s attorney rushed to file charges in the wake of the riots without thorough investigation.

“They seized a political opportunity, and in the process destroyed six lives,” the union said.

Despite the verdict, the NAACP said in a statement that they would await justice for Freddie Gray.

"We respect the legal process and pray that the family of Freddie Gray will receive justice for his tragic death as we continue to call on systemic reforms in municipal and state police departments across the country," the NAACP statement said. "As we continue to watch the legal process unfold and as the trials of other officers commence, we urge the community to let their voices be heard in nonviolent protest as we seek justice for a violent death.”

Reporters at the courthouse were reporting there was only a small group of protesters in advance of the verdict.

We'll be updating this post shortly.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a national civil rights leader, called for calm regardless of Monday's verdict.

“Following Mr. Gray’s death, the citizens of Baltimore demanded justice, and it is clear that the wheels of justice are turning," Cummings said Monday. “Justice has always relied on trust in the judicial process, and that is what I call on all of Baltimore’s residents to do because there will be more trials in the death of Mr. Freddie Gray. … We must continue working to reform our criminal justice system—in Maryland and nationwide—and we must continue to invest in our young people. Baltimore is a city on the rise, but the question is: will we all rise together?"

After Gray’s funeral, riots erupted in parts of the city, requiring the National Guard to help restore calm. Days later, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against six officers. Officer William Porter's case ended in a mistrial in December.

Police stated that Nero, who was patrolling an area off North Avenue on bicycle on April 12, 2015, pursued Gray with fellow bicycle patrol Officer Garrett Miller after a lieutenant reported that Gray made eye contact with him and ran.

Deputy State's Attorney Janice Bledsoe claimed the arrest was illegal. Bledsoe said it was legal to detain Gray but argued there was no cause for an arrest, and the action was grounds for charges of assault and misconduct in office.

Officer Miller testified earlier in the week that he was the one who made the physical arrest, testimony that was reportedly confirmed by footage from Baltimore City's closed circuit TV camera footage.

Prosecutors also allege Gray died from a spinal injury he got in a police van, where he was not seat-belted. They argued that not buckling him in was reckless endangerment, according to ABC 2 News.

Days before the arrest, the Baltimore Police Department had ordered officers to seatbelt detainees.

Defense attorney Marc Zayon said that all witnesses who spoke about police procedures testified that it was the van driver's responsibility to buckle someone in, according to WJZ.

with reporting by Elizabeth Janney