Freddie Gray reportedly asked for medical care in police van

Freddie Gray protests
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Freddie Gray reportedly asked for medical care during a police van ride after his April 12 arrest, according to officer statements investigators summarized to The Baltimore Sun.

The 25-year-old unarmed black man, handcuffed and unbelted in the vehicle, reportedly said, "Help me. Help me up." William Porter, one of six Baltimore officers charged in Gray's death, asked if Gray needed the hospital. Gray affirmed, so Porter reportedly alerted the van driver, but also questioned whether Gray asked for care in order to avoid going to jail.

When the van stopped at the police station to drop off another detainee, Gray was found to be in cardiac arrest and taken to a trauma center. He died a week later, and his death, like other recent deaths of unarmed black people involving police officers, was widely protested.

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The city settled with Gray's family for $6.4 million. The police officers, whose charges range from second-degree assault to second-degree murder, will all stand separate trials in Baltimore.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.