Protesters Gather in Baltimore After Mistrial

Porter was charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office after allegedly failing to safeguard Gray before and after he suffered a severe neck injury in the back of a police van in April. The post-mortem examination concluded that he probably could not brace himself whenever the van turned a corner or braked suddenly.

Defense attorneys said Porter did his best to help Gray. Porter told the van’s driver and a supervisor that Gray had asked for aid but none was summoned, according to testimony.

They also said Porter did not buckle Gray properly into a seat belt and did not follow police protocol.

Asked by defense lawyer Joseph Murtha if he wanted to appear at Thursday’s hearing, a relieved-looking Porter said, “No”.

Prosecutors will now decide whether to retry Porter. In August, a North Carolina jury deadlocked in the trial of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Randall Kerrick. That led to a series of protests, some calm, but some that rocked the city as businesses were looted and burned. “I think people learned from last time”.

In a story December 17 about the Freddie Gray mistrial, The Associated Press reported the wrong first name for a University of Virginia professor.

If there is another trial, there is always a chance that it may be moved out of Baltimore.

Because of the mistrial, the next officer’s trial, scheduled for January 6, could be pushed back. He’s charged with second-degree murder, the most serious charge in the case, along with manslaughter, assault and other offenses.

With no clear outcome for Baltimore Police officer William Porter, many people see no news as bad news. Prosecutors have not talked to reporters either since leaving court.

Prosecutors could seek to try Porter again on all four charges he faces. Porter, who faces involuntary manslaughter and other charges, might have been particularly useful in the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., the driver of the van carrying Gray after his arrest, experts say.

“It was never going to be easy”.

Mosby’s decision in some sense serves as a counterpoint to the criticism leveled at authorities in Ferguson, Missouri, and NY for failing to secure indictments for officers involved in the killing of unarmed black men, observers said.

“MTA is closely monitoring the Officer Porter trial and travel conditions downtown and will adjust services as necessary due to the potential for heavy pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic”, MTA said in a statement. “We are not at all upset with them”, Shipley said on behalf of the Gray family.

A mistrial is much different from a not-guilty verdict. “I realize that [the jury] had a very tough task but this is a major blow to the fight for justice in Baltimore and nationally and I think we missed the opportunity early on to send the message that we are taking a hard line against an in opposition to police terror”, he said.

Duane “Shorty” Davis, a community activist, said he was not surprised. She said that jurors should “hold him responsible” for what happened to Gray inside the van, which she at one point referred to as “his casket on wheels”.

Law enforcement officers from other Maryland departments also were on call in case protests grew out of control, said Vince Canales, president of the Maryland police union.

For City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the stakes are high.