A mistrial has been declared by a Baltimore judge in the case of the first of six officers charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray.
25 year old Freddie Gray died after sustaining spinal cord injury while being transported in a police van in Baltimore on April 12.
Officer William Porter was charged with manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in the death of Freddie Gray.
After 16 hours of deliberation, the jurors could not reach a verdict and the judge was forced to declare a mistrial. The State claims that Officer Porter’s failure to restrain Gray while he was in the van directly led to his death.
In what is an already emotionally charged case, it is certain that today’s mistrial will dampen public hope for any sort of justice.
An activist declared outside the courtroom as soon as the verdict was announced, “They just declared a mistrial! Justice has not been served, the system has failed us once again.”