_{Six Baltimore officers charged in death of Gray, one with murder}

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Baltimore's chief prosecutor charged one police officer with murder on Friday and five others with lesser crimes in the death of a young black man who suffered a critical neck injury in the back of a police van, a case that fueled new anger over police treatment of minorities.

The swift decision by Marilyn Mosby, who has been in the position only since January, to charge the six officers in the death of Freddie Gray caught many by surprise in a city hit Monday night by its worst civil unrest in decades.

Mosby made her announcement hours after the Maryland state medical examiner had ruled the death a homicide and a day after police handed her office the findings of its internal review of Gray's April 12 arrest.

All six officers were under arrest Friday and booking photos showed that three of them are black and three are white. Caesar Goodson Jr., a black officer who drove the police van, was charged with second-degree murder.

The police officers' union said they were not responsible for Gray's death.
"We are disappointed in the apparent rush to judgment given the fact the investigation into this matter has not been concluded," said Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police.

Mosby, whose family includes generations of law enforcement officers, rejected the union's call for a special prosecutor.

After a convulsive week, thousands of demonstrators marched through the majority black city on Friday evening, with many believing their mostly peaceful protests over two weeks had prompted Mosby's decision.

"It was the people, it was the people out in the streets that made this happen," said Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, a civil rights activist.

Rioters burned buildings and looted stores in Baltimore on Monday night after Gray's funeral, and protests spread to other major cities in a reprise of demonstrations set off by police killings last year of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York and elsewhere.
Gray, 25, sustained his fatal injury while riding in a police van, the prosecutor said, citing the autopsy report. Gray succumbed to his spinal injuries in a hospital on April 19.

"To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for 'no justice, no peace.' Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man," Mosby, a 35-year-old African-American, said at a news conference.

Gray's family was shocked, said attorney William H. "Billy" Murphy, noting "it was a good shock that justice had been approached in this forthright and courageous manner by this prosecutor."

JUBILATION ON STREETS

Officers cuffed Gray's hands behind his back and shackled his legs but did not secure him with a seatbelt while the van was moving, a violation of police department policy, Mosby said. Then, with "depraved indifference," officers ignored Gray's repeated pleas for medical attention, she said.
While the charges brought joy and relief to the city of 620,000, residents cautioned that they needed to see justice served, not only in Baltimore but in other poor communities where young black men believe they are targeted by police.

While touring the city to assess the impact of the unrest, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he does not recommend the city lift its curfew just yet.

"We're still expecting quite a bit of activity tonight and tomorrow," Hogan told Reuters. "Hopefully, we'll get back to normal in a couple of days."

In Ferguson and New York last year, grand juries decided against charging officers who were involved in the deaths of two unarmed black men. The news triggered rioting in the St. Louis suburb and days of protest marches in New York and other cities.

Charges against the six police officers range from second-degree murder to manslaughter to assault and misconduct in office.
Goodson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years if convicted on the second-degree murder count. Other offenses carry prison terms of between three and 10 years.

Goodson also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter, as do three others: Sgt. Alicia D. White, Officer William G. Porter and Lt. Brian Rice. All six, including Officer Edward M. Nero and Officer Garrett E. Miller, face lesser charges.

President Barack Obama took the unusual step of commenting on charges in an open case, highlighting the importance that the issue of police conduct toward minority groups has assumed over the past year.

"It is absolutely vital that the truth comes out in what happened to Freddie Gray," Obama said. "I think what the people in Baltimore want more than anything else is the truth. Thats what people in our country expect."

The incident that has commanded national attention began on April 12, when officers on bicycles made eye contact with Gray in a high-crime neighborhood, police said. The man immediately fled with the officers in pursuit.
When they caught up to him, Gray was handcuffed behind his back and dragged by the arms, screaming, into a waiting van, a bystander's video footage shows.

The prosecutor said Gray's arrest was illegal. Officers had said that he was carrying a switchblade knife in violation of the law, but she said it was in fact a folding knife that was legal to carry.

Mosby said the fatal injury occurred after the van stopped to allow officers to shackle Gray's legs and put him back inside. Officers failed to secure Gray in seat restraints at every stage of the ride, she said.

"Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon," said Mosby.

Gray was no longer breathing when he was finally removed from the van, Mosby said.
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Cleveland Police Officer Acquitted of Manslaughter in 2012 Deaths

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A police officer who climbed onto the hood of a car after a chase in 2012 and fired repeatedly at its unarmed occupants, both of them black, was acquitted of manslaughter on Saturday by an Ohio judge.

The trial of the white officer, Michael Brelo, following harrowing episodes in communities such as Baltimore, Staten Island and Ferguson, Mo., played out amid broader questions of how the police interact with African-Americans and use force, in Cleveland and across the country.

Officer Brelo, 31, was one of 13 officers who fired 137 rounds at Timothy Russell and his passenger, Malissa Williams, who were killed after a chase through the area on Nov. 29, 2012. Officer Brelo fired his Glock 17 pistol 49 times, including at least 15 shots after he reloaded and climbed onto the hood of Mr. Russells 1979 Chevrolet Malibu and the other officers had stopped firing.

The chase started downtown after reports of gunfire from the car; prosecutors said the noise apparently was the result of the cars backfiring. More than 100 officers pursued the car for more than 20 miles at speeds that reached 100 miles an hour. They began firing when the car was stopped and cornered.

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Dallas police were in a standoff early Saturday morning after suspects in an armored van opened fire on the department's headquarters before leading officers on a chase to Hutchins, about 10 miles southeast.

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At 5:40 a.m., police said the suspects' vehicle had been "disabled" with a .50 caliber rifle, but a standoff continued.

The South Side on Lamar apartment complex in the 1400 block of South Lamar was evacuated as a precaution after one or more bombs were discovered outside police headquarters.

Just after 6 a.m., Dallas Police Maj. Max Geron said on Twitter that officers were clearing the station.

"Not 'evacuating' but getting officers to clear in service from the station," he said in response to a tweet.

Dallas police Chief David Brown said four suspicious bags were found outside the building. Two explosive devices were found and detonated, while the other two ended up being trash, according to Maj. Geron.

One bag exploded as a bomb squad robot tried to move it. Another explosive, found under a police vehicle, was detonated in a controlled explosion around 5:45 a.m. No officers were injured in the detonations, Geron said.

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California man beaten by police officers in 'horrific and inflammatory' video

Video footage of a group of police officers in California beating a man with batons is being investigated by the department after the citys police chief conceded that it appeared horrific and inflammatory.

Officers from the city of Salinas were filmed repeatedly striking Jose Velasco, who is said by his sister to have a mental illness, as he writhed around on a street on Friday.

Velasco, 28, appears from the video clip to be hit on his head, legs, hands and back during the 45-second beating. At one point, five police officers struggle with him as sirens from their vehicles wail. One officer is seen arriving on the scene halfway through the clash and vigorously striking Velasco at least nine times.

Police said officers were called to a report of Velasco assaulting his mother on the pavement and running into traffic. As the officers tried to get Velasco off of his mother by pulling him away, Velasco began to violently resist and attacked the officers, the department said in a statement.

Two attempts to subdue Velasco with a Taser were unsuccessful, according to police, who claimed the 28-year-old managed to grab one of the stun guns. Velasco continued to struggle and resist, eventually needing five officers and the use of batons to control and place him into handcuffs, the police statement said.

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