Baltimore judge: Charges against police in Freddy Gray case can go forward

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Baltimore judge: Charges against police in Freddy Gray case can go forward

A Baltimore judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss charges against six police officers facing criminal charges in connection with the death of a black man seriously injured in their custody. He also refused to remove the prosecutor in the case. During a pretrial hearing, Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams denied a defense motion for the charges to be dropped against the officers in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who endured a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody on April 12 and died a week later.

You know, this whole thing is bigger than Freddie Gray. It’s about poverty.

Protester Lee Paterson

Gray’s death drew worldwide attention when it triggered protests and a day of rioting, arson and looting. The case became part of a national debate on police treatment of minorities in the United States. Dozens of protesters rallied outside the Baltimore courthouse to express their anger and indignation over Gray’s treatment. Many of them then marched in the street to the city’s Inner Harbor area, where they blocked a main road briefly. Police lined up behind them and directed them out of the road. Police handcuffed one protester while he was on his stomach in the street.