Unless you’ve been living under a rock these last few days, odds are you’re at least somewhat familiar with the name Freddie Gray. That said, much of the news coverage seems to be about the rioting in Baltimore, not the actual incident in question. To help everyone better understand everything that is going on in Baltimore, we’re going to outline what happened to Freddie Gray, and why community members are upset.
One of the many issues with the case is how it began. When looking at the police accounts, although Gray had a history of run-ins with the law, there doesn’t appear to be a good reason for authorities to arrest him. One officer said that Gray made eye contact with him, then he took off running, so the officers pursued. There was no indication that he was wanted at the time of the incident. Police did find a switchblade on him during a search, but as the Baltimore Mayor said, “We know that having a knife is not necessarily a crime.”
What happened next is what is fueling the fire in Baltimore, and just like the Michael Brown case, the problem stems from the fact that the incident leaves us with more questions than answers. According to witness accounts, officers were rather rough with Gray when he was apprehended.
“They had him folded up like he was a crab or a piece of origami,” said friend and witness Kevin Moore said. “He was all bent up.”
Witnesses say Gray was struggling to walk as officers guided him towards the police van, and one woman shouted that Gray appeared to have a broken leg. While he was being placed in custody, Gray allegedly said he was having difficulty breathing, but police did not give him an inhaler. What’s most odd, though, is that Gray’s asthma and injured leg had nothing to do with his death.
Rough Ride
Officers involved in the situation noted that the police van made a few stops on their way to the station, including one stop to apprehend another individual, but again, Gray was not given medical attention for his asthma. During one stop, police noted that Gray was acting “irate,” so they placed him in foot shackles, but they did not secure his seat belt. Another officer account states that once they arrived to the station, they had to pick Gray up off the floor of the van, and Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said “he could not talk and he could not breathe.”
Gray eventually slipped into a coma, and he died seven days after he was detained by police. A medical examination after the fact revealed that Gray suffered severe injuries to his neck and spine. The autopsy revealed that he suffered three fractured vertebrae, a crushed voice box, and his spinal cord was 80 percent severed.
So what happened between the time he was picked up by police, and the time he arrived at the station? Commissioner Rodriguez insisted that “none of the officers describe using any force against Mr. Gray,” yet he died of traumatic injuries in police custody. Although the details are still emerging, some are suggesting that Gray suffered the injuries during what people in the community refer to as a “rough ride.” A rough ride is described as a technique where a police officer intentionally drives recklessly with a suspect in the vehicle in order to “rough up” the perp. Although the details of the ride to the station are fuzzy, a medical examiner noted that Gray’s injuries were consistent with someone who had been “in a serious car accident.”
It’s unlikely that we’ll ever no exactly what happened on that ride, but one thing is certain. As Deputy Commissioner Anthony Batts said at a news conference, “police employees failed to get him medical attention in a timely manner multiple times.”
It’s terrible that a young man lost his life, and the nation should certainly stay tuned to hear more about the case as more evidence becomes available. Hopefully a clear picture emerges, and justice can be served.
Related source: CNN, The Atlantic, Baltimore Sun
