Justice Department declines to bring federal charges against police who arrested Freddie Gray

(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

published 12 September 2017

The Justice Department will not bring federal charges against the six Baltimore police officers who arrested Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered a fatal spinal injury in their custody in 2015, The Associated Press reports.

No officers were ever convicted over Gray's death. In 2016, three officers indicted in the case were all acquitted and state prosecutors later dropped the remaining charges.

Later that year, the Department of Justice issued a scathing report that found the Baltimore Police Department routinely conducted unlawful stops and used excessive force, disproportionately targeting black residents. "BPD teaches officers to use aggressive tactics. BPD's trainings fuel an 'us vs. them' mentality we saw some officers display toward community members, alienating the civilians they are meant to serve," the report said.

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Five officers involved in the arrest of Gray still face internal disciplinary trials, AP writes.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.