Report: Freddie Gray autopsy shows he suffered a 'high-energy' blow

Freddie Gray sustained a "high-energy injury" that was likely caused when the police van he was in suddenly slowed down, The Baltimore Sun reports, citing a copy of the autopsy report it obtained.

Gray, 25, was arrested April 12 in Baltimore and died a week later after suffering a spinal injury that was similar to those seen in shallow-water diving incidents. The state medical examiner's office concluded his death was a homicide and could not be ruled an accident since officers did not follow safety procedures "through acts of omission," The Baltimore Sun reports. After his arrest, Gray was loaded into the van on his stomach, and the medical examiner believes it is possible he was able to get on his feet and was thrown into the wall when the car changed direction. Gray was not belted in, and his wrists and ankles were shackled, putting him "at risk for an unsupported fall during acceleration or deceleration of the van."

The autopsy report was completed April 30, and also says Gray tested positive for opiates and cannabinoid when he was admitted to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. The six officers involved in his arrest and death have been charged by the Baltimore state's attorney office, with Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., the driver of the van, charged with second-degree depraved heart murder.

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