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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Freddie Gray: Baltimore officer cleared of murder | Freddie Gray: Baltimore officer cleared of murder |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson has been found not guilty in his trial for the murder of black detainee Freddie Gray. | Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson has been found not guilty in his trial for the murder of black detainee Freddie Gray. |
| He was found not guilty on a second-degree depraved heart murder charge, the most serious count sought against the six officers charged in the case. | He was found not guilty on a second-degree depraved heart murder charge, the most serious count sought against the six officers charged in the case. |
| The officer drove the van in which Mr Gray rode before he died. | The officer drove the van in which Mr Gray rode before he died. |
| The verdict is a blow to prosecutors, who have yet to win a conviction connected to Mr Gray's death. | |
| Freddie Gray, 25, was arrested in April 2015 for running away from police officers. He died a week after sustaining a spinal injury while in the back of a police van. | |
| His death sparked civil unrest in Baltimore, part of a wider national debate on police brutality and the death of unarmed black men at the hands of police. | |
| Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams also acquitted Mr Goodson on charges of manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment after the five-day trial. | |
| The judge said the state failed to show that Mr Goodson was aware he had injured Mr Gray or that he needed medical care. | |
| Prosecutors had argued that Mr Goodson was criminally negligent when he failed to use a seat belt to secure Mr Gray and intentionally gave him a "rough ride" while transporting him to the police station. | |
| The van made six stops during the ride to the police station. Mr Goodson was the only officer present at each of the stops. | |
| "The state had a duty to show the defendant corruptly failed in his duty, not just that he made a mistake," the judge said in his ruling. | |
| The same judge cleared Officer Edward Nero on misdemeanour charges in connection to Mr Gray's arrest last month and declared a mistrial in December after a jury failed to agree on charges against Officer William Porter. | |
| Officer Garret Miller and Lt. Brian Rice are the two remaining policemen scheduled to stand trial in July on charges of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in officer. | |
| Mr Rice also faces a charge of manslaughter. | |
| State Sen Catherine Pugh, the Democratic nominee to become Baltimore's next mayor, issued a statement urging protesters to be patient. | |
| "Protests are a vital part of democracy, but to destroy the homes and businesses many people have worked very hard to build is unacceptable," she said. "Although people may disagree with the verdict, it is important to respect each other and to respect our neighbourhoods and our communities." |