Associated Press
BALTIMORE — The second day of trial for one of the Baltimore police officers facing charges in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray opened Friday with testimony by a friend who was with Gray when officers started to chase him.
Officer Edward Nero — one of six officers charged in the case — faces assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges stemming from Gray’s arrest. Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken while he was handcuffed and shackled but not seat-belted into the back of a police van.
Prosecutors say Nero and two other officers arrested him illegally, and that they were negligent by failing to buckle him into a seat belt. Nero’s attorney said his client didn’t arrest the man, and that it was the wagon driver’s responsibility to secure Gray.
The first witness on Friday was Brandon Ross, who testified that he was with Freddie Gray and another friend on the morning of April 12, 2015, when they came upon a bike patrol officer and Gray took off running. That officer and two others, including Nero, chased Gray, who was arrested.
Ross is currently in custody awaiting trial on assault and weapons charges.
Ross said Nero showed up after Gray had been handcuffed and brought to the ground, and identified him as the officer who lifted Gray by his feet and “threw him” into the wagon head-first.
Prosecutors showed cellphone videos shot during Gray’s arrest and during the wagon’s second stop, when Gray was secured in leg irons.
Ross testified that he called the police after Gray was arrested, but used a fake name because “I knew I was going to be harassed.” Ross also said he saw the first officer, Lt. Brian Rice, several seconds after Gray started running.
But Marc Zayon, Nero’s attorney, tried to poke holes in Ross’ testimony by asking about a discrepancy between Ross’ statement to investigators last year that he believed Gray had been shocked by a Taser, and his account in court, when he said he wasn’t sure. Zayon was also skeptical of Ross’ reasoning behind using a phony name for the call to the police.
The second witness of the day was Det. Michael Boyd, a member of the department’s Force Investigation Team. During his testimony, prosecutors played several surveillance videos as Boyd identified locations.
Trial will resume after an afternoon break.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press