I've purposely waited until the initial police investigation report came out hoping it would provide some answers. Unfortunately, per this
NYTimes article, it doesn't appear that the Baltimore PD is willing to disclose any of its findings on this case. Nonetheless, per the article it has been discovered that the police van that transported Freddie Gray made an undisclosed stop while enroute to the Baltimore police station.
What was the purpose for the stop and why didn't it get reported? More important, what happened during the stop? Baltimore PD aren't telling.
This is why I delayed responding to this incident so as not to prejudge events before the facts come out. All we know for sure is:
- Yes, the area where Freddie Gray was stopped does have a high crime rate, mostly drug related.
- Yes, Freddie Gray does have a police record (some drug related minor crimes).
- No, we don't know that he was running police or if he was, why. Police have yet to explain why Freddie Gray was stopped and subsequently apprehended and taken into police custody other than:
So, it would appear that claims that he was "running and resisting" would be inaccurate and premature at this point. We just don't know at this time why he was stopped in the first place and, as such, whether or not he had committed any crime prior to being apprehended.
As to the mystery surrounding Freddie Gray's injuries that lead to his death...
The
video footage of his apprehension doesn't tell a clear picture of what all occurred. We do know that Freddie Gray:
- was tased prior to being restrained on the ground.
- had limited use of his legs (perhaps because they were bent cross-ways behind him as the two bicycle policemen held him down while back-up/reinforcements came on the scene).
- was placed into additional leg restraints on the scene just prior to be being placed into the police van.
- suffered sever injury to his neck (voice box) and spine (at the neck; reportedly 80% of his spine was severed at the neck) while in transit.
The confirmed non-use of seatbelts to secure the suspect in the back of the police van (paddy wagon) would support your suspicions. Still, we don't know precisely what happened in this case. But what IS clear is that the victim died at the hands of the Baltimore PD from injuries that were likely suffered during an unreported stop while enroute to the police station. The question everyone should be asking (other than why was this young man stopped in the first place) is "What really happened during that stop?"