The judge declared a mistrial in the case of one of the Baltimore cops charged in the death of Freddie Gray after jurors remained deadlocked after days of deliberation. Baltimore police officer William G. Porter is the first of six officers to go to trial for the 25-year-old’s death; the jury began deliberations Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, jurors wrote to the judge to tell him they remained deadlocked, but the judge ordered them to continue deliberating until they came to a unanimous decision.
After the jurors couldn’t reach a verdict this afternoon, the judge officially called it a hung jury and dismissed everyone. The Times reports that the jurors had many questions and requests for the judge, such as asking for an easel and sticky notes in the deliberation room.
Porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct. The five other officers also face similar charges after allegedly giving Gray a “rough ride” in the back of a police van and failing to call for medical assistance when he was unresponsive. ABC News reports that the Baltimore police canceled all vacation time for the force this week, in anticipation of massive protests — much like the ones that rocked the city in April after Gray’s death — in the event a verdict was reached in Porter’s case.
