Freddie Gray: Yet Another Black Life Lost

Still so fresh off of Mike Brown and Walter Scotts murders which happned recently. Here we are again talking about another victim of police brutality we have Freddy Gray from Baltimore, Maryland. Six Baltimore police officers have been suspended over the death of a man whose neck was broken after he was arrested and locked in a police van, as it emerged officers had delayed providing him with medical attention despite his requests.

Freddie Gray died from a “significant spinal injury”, police confirmed on Monday, while claiming it remained unknown how he was hurt. Chiefs said Gray appeared to have been injured while locked alone in a compartment of their transportation wagon.

“When Mr Gray was put in that van, he could talk, he was upset. And when he was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe,” deputy police commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said at a press conference.

“It’s clear that what happened happened inside the van,” said mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “We don’t have any procedure that would have an officer riding in the back of the van with the suspect.”

Rodriguez said all officers involved who had been interviewed had denied using force against Gray. A criminal inquiry has been opened into Gray’s death. City officials said the investigation would be completed by Friday 1 May and then handed to state prosecutors, who would decide whether or not to bring criminal charges.

Yet the van made two stops before medical assistance was radioed for, the officials said. During the second stop, another prisoner from a separate incident was placed inside the van in a compartment walled off from Gray.

Rodriguez told reporters before this second stop, which occurred about 13 minutes after Gray was placed in the van, the driver had requested an additional unit to check on Gray, who had been placed in leg irons during the first stop after “acting irate in the back”.

The 25-year-old eventually received medical attention half an hour after the police van departed, according to the police timeline of events.

Gray died on Sunday, a week after being chased and arrested by officers at 8.39 am. His family say he lapsed into a coma after his spine was “80% severed” at his neck and his voice box was injured. Police said an autopsy was completed on Monday and confirmed the spinal injury led to Gray’s death.

Yet another act of carelessness displayed by officers, and yet another life lost. A persons life was lost no matter what the color of his skin was, this all could have been avoided if the officers would have done their job right; yet they didn't. They had multipule chances to call EMT because they made 2 stops before arriving to the stations but yet ignored the signs of an injured man, whose life could of been saved easily.

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