Freddie Gray Biography

Freddie Gray was 25 years old when Baltimore police arrested him, handcuffed him and injured his spine, putting him in a coma until he died six days later. Riots erupted on the city’s streets, and six police officers were charged with crimes from assault to second-degree murder.

On the morning of April 12, 2015, police arrested Gray without incident, although they later said he had a knife. Gray was handcuffed and put into a police van but not secured. Forty-five minutes later, paramedics were called and Gray was taken to a trauma center with a spinal injury. Two surgeries failed, he went into a coma and died on April 19.

Protests against the police began April 18th, after it was learned that Gray had not been secured in the van, had complained repeatedly of pain, and that the van had made six stops before calling for paramedics.

After Gray’s death, protests continued, turning violent April 25th and 26th. A state of emergency was declared, a curfew was put into place and the National Guard arrived in Baltimore on April 28th. The next day, more than 100 protesters were released from jail without charges, and on May 1, 2015 the Baltimore City State’s Attorney brought charges against the six officers who took Gray into custody.

Before the trials began, Baltimore settled a civil law suit with Gray’s family for $6.4 million. By August of 2016, prosecution of the officers was over, with no convictions.