1:50 p.m.
A prosecutor says Freddie Gray’s neck was broken during a ride in a police van and implied that the injury occurred when the van slammed on its brakes.
Prosecutor Michael Shatzow said Wednesday during opening statements in Officer William Porter’s trial that the officer failed to put a seatbelt on Gray and didn’t call a medic, even though Gray complained that he couldn’t breathe.
Pointing to a poster-sized photo of the van with one of its rear doors open, Shatzow said Porter failed to buckle Gray in, as required by Baltimore Police Department policy.
He said the city paid extra to get those seat belts and “any one of which would have saved Mr. Gray’s life.”
Defense attorneys will present their opening statements later Wednesday.
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12:35 p.m.
Prosecutors say an officer facing charges in the death of Freddie Gray is partially responsible for the young black man’s death because he failed to render aid after Gray asked for medical attention and complained that he couldn’t breathe.
Prosecutor Michael Schatzow said during opening statements Wednesday that Officer William Porter was present at five of six stops a transport van made after arresting Gray and could have easily pushed a button on his uniform to call for help.
Prosecutors say at one point, Porter asked Gray if he needed a medic, and Gray replied that he could not breathe and could not move from the floor of the van, where he had been placed head-first and in plastic handcuffs and leg shackles.
Instead of calling a medic, prosecutors say Porter picked Gray up from the floor and placed him in an upright position on the bench, and did not secure him in a seatbelt.
Schatzow said Gray’s injury occurred in a section of the spinal cord where the nerves control the chest and the diaphragm. He said such an injury would have impacted Gray’s ability to breathe.
He says evidence will show that Porter “criminally neglected” his duty to keep Gray safe.
Defense attorneys will present their opening statements at about 1:45 p.m., after a lunch recess.
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11:50 a.m.
Opening statements have begun in the trial for William Porter, one of six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
Prosecutor Michael Schatzow began his opening statement by recounting the day that Gray was arrested last April.
Prosecutors say Porter failed to render aid to Gray, who repeatedly asked for medical assistance.
“The defendant alone is on trial for what he did, or more importantly, what he did not do,” Schatzow said.
Gray suffered a critical spine injury when he was handcuffed and shackled in a police transport van. Prosecutors also allege that Porter was negligent for failing to buckle Gray into a seatbelt.
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11:25 a.m.
A prospective juror for the trial of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray says he was dismissed after telling the judge he had some “unfortunate” experiences with Baltimore police.
Franz Schneiderman said Wednesday he was interviewed individually by Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams after he indicated that he had been accused in or the victim of a crime.
Schneiderman said he told Williams that despite his experiences with Baltimore police, he believed he would be able to render a fair verdict. He was still dismissed.
Officer William Porter is the first of six officers to go on trial in the death of Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering a spinal injury in custody.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby arrived at the courthouse during a brief recess after a jury was seated. Opening statements are expected to begin shortly.
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11:10 a.m.
A jury has been seated in Baltimore for the trial of a city police officer facing manslaughter and other charges in the death of Freddie Gray.
The jury was seated Wednesday in trial for Officer William Porter, the first of six officers to go to trial.
The jury is made up of eight women and four men. The four alternates are men.
Gray was a 25-year-old black man who died in April from a spinal injury he suffered while riding in the back of a police transport van.
Opening statements may be heard as early as Wednesday.
Porter faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. He’s accused of failing to render aid after Gray asked for medical assistance.
Porter is also black.
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10:30 a.m.
Jury selection has resumed for a third day in the trial for a Baltimore police officer facing manslaughter and other charges in the death of Freddie Gray.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams has so far called in 150 prospective jurors. Williams asked jurors who had been called back Wednesday whether they had anything to report that might affect their ability to be fair and impartial. Only four said they did.
A jury could be seated Wednesday afternoon.
Officer William Porter is the first of six officers to go on trial in the death of Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering a spinal injury in custody.
Porter is accused of failing to render aid to Gray, who was handcuffed and shackled but not buckled into a seatbelt in the back of a police transport van. Prosecutors say Gray repeatedly asked for medical attention.
Porter is expected to take the stand in his own defense.
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(Photo: AP)
