Freddie Gray case: Officer Porter trial moves into Week 2

[Jefferson23]

12/7/2015

The trial of Officer William Porter in the death of Freddie Gray is set to resume Monday morning with assistant state medical examiner Dr. Carol Allan returning to the witness stand in a downtown Baltimore courtroom.

Allan was first called by prosecutors on Friday, and asked to describe the spinal cord injury that Gray suffered while in police custody in April. Gray, 25, died a week later, with rioting and looting breaking out on the day of his funeral. Porter and five other Baltimore police officers have been charged in his arrest and death; all have pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, Porter's attorneys will have a chance to cross-examine Allan, and are expected to question her finding that the manner of Gray's death was a homicide.

Porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. Prosecutors say he was negligent in failing to call a medic for Gray when Gray requested one and for failing to seat belt Gray in the back of the van. The defense has said Porter showed concern for Gray's well-being but did not believe Gray was seriously injured until he was found unconscious in the back of the van at the Western District police station.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bs-md-porter-trial-monday-20151207-story.html

[truth2power]

1. Just my opinion; I'm not a doctor..

But from the beginning I've thought that Gray didn't sustain his injury from rattling around and banging his head in that police van. His spinal cord was severed when one of those officers put his knee on him and snapped his head back while he was handcuffed. BEFORE he was put in the van.

It makes sense that if he slammed the top of his head against the side of the van it would be a compression injury. Someone should get life in prison for what happened to Mr. Gray.

Just my $.02. Could be wrong.