Judge Declares Mistrial In First Freddie Gray Case

Officer William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, walks into a courthouse during jury deliberations, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, in Baltimore. Jurors ... Officer William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, walks into a courthouse during jury deliberations, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, in Baltimore. Jurors are in their third day of deliberations in the manslaughter trial of Officer William Porter. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) MORE LESS
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A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after a jury failed to reach a decision in the trial of the first Baltimore police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the Associated Press reported.

The panel had deadlocked after three days of deliberations in the trial of William Porter, the first of six officers charged in Gray’s death to stand trial. Circuit Judge Barry Williams declared a mistrial after saying it was clear the jury could not come to an agreement on the four charges against Porter.

Porter was charged with manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in connection with Gray’s death. Gray died in April after suffering a severe spinal injury in police custody. Prosecutors argued that Porter should have buckled Gray into a police van and called for medical help when Gray indicated that he needed it, according to the AP.

It’s unclear at this point whether Porter will be retried.

Gray’s death sparked weeks of protests and a surge in violent crime earlier this year across the city, so the stakes were high going into Porter’s trial. A handful of protesters were gathered outside the courthouse Wednesday while the deadlocked jury continued its deliberations, according to the AP.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a statement Wednesday afternoon urging those who may protest in the wake of the mistrial to have “respect for our neighborhoods, and for the residents and businesses of our city”:

An attorney for Gray’s family, Bill Murphy, echoed that sentiment in a press conference, saying: “We are calm, you should be calm.”

“Everybody needs to remain calm,” he said. “This is not the time to speculate. There’s too much at stake. This is a great city, and it isn’t great for everybody, but I’d rather die and go to hell than not continue fighting to make this city great. That’s what we all ought to be about, making this city a great place for everybody to live in. The hot heads out there out to stand down, because it’s not your time.”

This post has been updated.

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