On April 12, 2015, 25-year-old
African American Freddie Gray was taken into custody by the
Baltimore Police Department for possession of a
switchblade.
[1] Whilst being transported, Gray had experienced what was described by officers as a "
medical emergency"; within an hour of his arrest, Gray had fallen into a
coma and had been taken to a trauma center, where it was determined that he had suffered from a
spinal injury.
[2] According to his family, Gray's spine was "80% severed" at his neck, he had three fractured vertebrae, and his
larynx was injured.
[3][4] The events that led to the injuries are unclear;
[3][4] Officer Garrett Miller claimed that Gray was arrested "without
force or incident."
[1]
Despite extensive surgery in an attempt to save his life, Gray died on April 19, 2015.
[4] Pending an investigation, six Baltimore police officers were temporarily suspended with pay.
[3]Police Commissioner
Anthony Batts reported that the officers "failed to get [Gray] medical attention in a timely manner multiple times", and did not
buckle him in the van while he was being transported to the police station.
[5]
The death of Gray resulted in an ongoing series of
protests and
civil disorder; a major protest event in downtown Baltimore on April 25, 2015 turned violent, resulting in 34 arrests and the injuries of 15 police officers.
[6] Following Gray's funeral on April 27, the unrest intensified with the looting and burning of local businesses and a
CVS drug store, culminating with the deployment of the
Maryland National Guard to Baltimore and declaration of a
state of emergency by Governor
Larry Hogan.