Leaked Baltimore Police report suggests Freddie Gray injured himself in police van
Central to the anger of the death of Freddie Gray is the presumption that Baltimore police officers caused the spinal injury that apparently killed him. Late Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that it had obtained a sealed police report, written by police, in which the second prisoner in the van purportedly said he could hear Gray "banging against the walls," leading the unidentified prisoner to conclude Gray "was intentionally trying to injure himself." The prisoner was in a different cell in the van and couldn't see Gray.
The leaked document was part of a search warrant application for the uniform worn by one of the arresting officers. On Friday, the Baltimore Police Department is turning over to state prosecutors the results of its internal investigation into Brown's death, though the findings won't be made public immediately. Plenty of people are skeptical about this leak.
"We disagree with any implication that Freddie Gray severed his own spinal cord," Gray family lawyer Jason Downs told The Post. "We question the accuracy of the police reports we’ve seen thus far, including the police report that says Mr. Gray was arrested without force or incident." Jayne Miller, a reporter for WBAL, tweeted that according to all other reports, Gray was already "unresponsive" when the second prisoner was picked up, and there was "no evidence" he was "banging head against van." Among those reporting that:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Clouding the situation further, CNN reports that a woman "close to one of the officers involved in the arrest" says that Gray was likely injured during his arrest, and before he was placed in the police van. She said that Gray was not put in a seatbelt because, despite his being handcuffed, "he still has his teeth and he still has his saliva," and the police "didn't want to reach over him."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published