Baltimore Mayor Demands Answers Over Freddie Gray Death Baltimore Mayor Demands Answers Over Freddie Gray Death Baltimore Mayor Demands Answers Over Freddie Gray Death Stephanie Rawlings-Blake addresses the death of Freddie Gray, days after he was arrested by Baltimore Police. Baltimore cop who arrested 27-year-old who died in police custody of 'severed spine' is identified ...as mayor points finger at officers Baltimore police who said a 25-year-old they arrested was taken into custody 'without incident' are facing questions about what happened to lead to his death from a severed spine. Freddie Gray died Sunday after he 'had his spine 80 per cent severed at his neck' following his arrest by three bicycle officers for a violation that's been kept 'secret' until today. Official police documents filed Monday said that the man was arrested by Officer Garrett Miller for having a switchblade knife after being stopped because he 'fled unprovoked after noticing police presence'. Gray, who was screaming in pain as he was taken to a police van, then lapsed into a coma and was taken to a University of Maryland trauma center where he struggled to stay alive for seven days before his death. Police still have no answers about exactly what happened that led to the neck injury though Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said, 'Whatever happened happened in the back of the van'. Six officers have been suspended, but investigators say they still don’t know how it happened. Rawlings-Blake, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts and Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez held a press conference on Monday pledging a thorough investigation of the incident. The mayor had vowed in the aftermath of the death to ensure the city held 'the right people accountable' after his early-morning death at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. She expressed frustration on Monday as authorities could not figure out the exact circumstances that led to Gray's neck injury and said that the description of events given in a police report may not have shown probable cause in his arrest. 'When Mr. Gray was put in that van, he could talk, he was upset. And he was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe,' Rodriguez said “We are not in the business of hiding facts.' Six officers were involved in the arrest and transportation of Gray after he was taken into custody. Their races are not known. They have all been suspended from the department, though Batts said that they would be paid, as per state law. The recent disclosure marks the first time authorities have given a reason for Gray's interaction with police. Though his arrest was for the switchblade, officers said that his arrest in a 'hot spot' area of Baltimore known for narcotics was because he was running away after seeing police. Rodriguez said Monday that the police involved believed that the 27-year-old was committing or had just committed a crime when they chased and subdued him. The switchblade knife was found in his front right pants pocket, according to documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun. The knife was punishable by a year in prison and a $500 fine. A timeline released by police said Gray was taken by a prisoner transport van from the 'crime' scene to the Western District station shortly before 9am. He asked for his asthmatic inhaler while he was being arrested, and requested medical assistance at another unknown point in time, according to Rodriguez. An officer pulled out his Taser for use during the incident, but an autopsy that came back Monday showed no Taser marks. While he was in the van, Gray, who is 5'8'' and 145 pounds, was put in leg restraints after he became 'irate'. Thirty minutes after he was arrested, an ambulance was called to the police station to take Gray to the hospital after he had a 'medical emergency', according to NBC Baltimore. The van made multiple stops, including stopping to pick up another suspect who could hear but not see Gray because of a partition in the vehicle.

• published: 21 Apr 2015
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