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Officers charged in Freddie Gray’s murder, what happens now?

Six officers have been charged in connection to the murder of Freddie Gray while in police custody.

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Family Wants Answers Into Freddie Gray's Death While In Police Custody

Today Baltimore’s State Attorney announced after a thorough investigation Freddie Gray’s death has been ruled a homicide and six officers will be charged in connection with his murder.

The unexpected announcement by Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby left no doubt as to what she thinks what happened to Freddie Gray the day he was arrested.

The 25-year-old died, she said, after suffering “a severe and critical neck injury” while being transported “handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained” inside a police van.

It is against police policy to transport a prisoner without proper restraints such as a seat belt.

But the city’s police union insisted that none of the officers was responsible for Gray’s death.

“To the contrary, at all times, each of the officers diligently balanced their obligations to protect Mr. Gray and discharge their duties to protect the public,” wrote Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police President Gene Ryan.

Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury on April 12 while being transported in a police van.

Despite repeated stops to check on Mr. Gray, the van driver, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., and other officers never belted him in, she said, at times leaving him facedown on the van floor with his hands behind him.

Mr. Gray’s condition deteriorated, Mobsy said, as officers repeatedly ignored his pleas for medical attention and ignored obvious signs that he was in distress.

At one point, she said, when officers attempted to check on him, Mr. Gray was completely unresponsive — yet no action was taken. He died of his injuries a week later.

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The driver of the van, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. received the most serious charge: second-degree depraved-heart murder, among other accusations — including manslaughter by vehicle.

Charges against the other officers varied. All were accused of misconduct and second-degree assault.

Three were charged with involuntary manslaughter. As of Friday afternoon, five of the officers were in custody.

So what does this mean now? Is Baltimore setting the stage to hold police officers accountable for their actions?

Are people finally starting to realize that the issue of  excessive force by police has been a long standing problem for decades and didn’t start happening when social media became the wave of communication?

A charge certainly does not mean a conviction, as you are innocent until proven guilty, but this could be a step to open up the lack of transparency when it comes to policing.

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The issue here is not only the actions of the police officers, but the conduct of officers on how they treat citizens of the community.

You will hear dislike of law enforcement, especially in brown and black communities, simply because of the way they are treated by them : second class citizens.

Black men in New York can tell you so much about that with New York’s pointless Stop & Frisk policy.

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While the charges against the officers is a step in the right direction, the lens law enforcement has in brown and black communities on how they see the residents needs to be addressed.

The fundamental issue of why Freddie Gray is dead is because of lack of empathy and compassion from the officers.

Yes he was under arrest, but it doesn’t mean he had suffer physical duress because of it. Freddie Gray screamed in agony and pleaded, and yet not one of them cared.

In brown and black communities, the lack of compassion from police officers is one probably every citizen can relay a story to you about.

I remember when I was at a community event a police officer refused to take pictures with the kids.

I was shocked by the police officer’s behavior to not want to interact with members of the community he’s supposed to protect and serve.

Or the time a police officer told me that people who live in urban communities should deal with policing.

Or the time I watched a police officer bother one of the nicest young men I know because the officer didn’t like the fact he “looked” at him.

I can tell you many more stories on lack of compassionate police officers who police a community where most of them don’t live. But I digress.

What happened today in Baltimore was monumental. Whether if the officers are convicted or not, it has set the stage that police brutality and excessive force by police officers will no longer be tolerated.

Protests still continue, because voices still need to be heard. Not just for Freddie Gray, but for all the Freddie Gray’s before him that didn’t result in a charge.

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The message today was, no matter your position as a member of society, you will be held accountable for your actions.


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Unheard Voices Magazine is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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Crime & Justice

New Jersey detective shot and killed after suspects kicked in front door of her home

Monica Mosley, a revered detective in South New Jersey, was shot and killed during a home invasion at her residence, authorities said.

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Monica Mosley
Det. Sgt. Monica Mosley is seen in a photo released by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.

Monica Mosley, a revered detective in South New Jersey, was shot and killed during a home invasion at her residence, authorities said.

New Jersey detective Monica Mosley killed

Detective Sgt. Monica Mosley, with the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, was fatally shot at her home in Bridgeton on Tuesday night, according to police.

The incident

Bridgeton Police responded to the home around 10:30 p.m. for a report of “several subjects kicking in a front door at a residence,” the Bridgeton Police Department said in a press release.

Mosley, 51, died at the scene, police said.

An individual who had been treated for a gunshot wound at a nearby hospital was detained for questioning in connection with the incident, police said. No additional information on the individual was released.

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Law enforcement career

Mosley began her career in 2006 at the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office as a paralegal specialist. She then became a county detective in 2009, “where she served our community with honor, dignity and respect before her untimely passing,” Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said in a statement.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy expressed he was “outraged and heartbroken by the murder” of Mosley.

“As a detective with the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, Sgt. Mosley served her community with distinction, working every day to ensure the safety and well-being of the people of Cumberland County,” he said in a statement. “This act of violence impacts our entire law enforcement community and all of New Jersey.”

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No arrests have been made or charges filed in the case, police said.

Multiple agencies are investigating the deadly shooting, including the State Police Major Crime Bureau, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bridgeton Police Department Criminal Investigation Bureau.


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Police

Phoenix police officers punch, taser deaf Black man with cerebral palsy under false claims

A Black man, who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is facing felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest charges after he was repeatedly punched and tasered by a pair of Phoenix police officers.

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Tyron McAlpin deaf Black man tased and punched by Phoenix police officers
Screenshot via ABC15 Arizona

Update October 19: All charges have been dismissed against Tyron McAlpin.

Original story

Tyron McAlpin, a Black man, who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is facing felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest charges after he was repeatedly punched and tasered by a pair of Phoenix police officers.

Tyron McAlpin Phoenix deaf Black man police incident

Acting on false claims from a white man under investigation, body camera video recently released to the public shows officers unexpectedly go after McAlpin, punch him in the head at least 10 times, Taser him four times, and wrap their arms around his neck.

Internal investigation

Despite the incident August 19 being the subject of an internal investigation, Phoenix police and Maricopa County prosecutors continue to pursue a criminal case against McAlpin.

Body camera video of Tyron McAlpin police incident

According to ABC15, Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Nick Saccone found there was probable cause for his Aug. 19, 2024, arrest, stating McAlpin fought officers and didn’t comply.

Video of the incident shows officers immediately getting out of their vehicle and attacking McAlpin as he was walking.

McAlpin allegedly attempted to defend himself and fight back against the officers as he was being attacked. As a result, he was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest, according to ABC15 Arizona.

According to the police report, McAlpin was arrested by Officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue.

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Claims are false says attorneys

McAlpin’s attorneys said body camera video and surveillance footage show the officers’ claims are false and said there’s an obvious explanation for why he couldn’t comply.

“The answer is easy. He’s deaf. He couldn’t understand what they were doing. And he had done nothing wrong,” Showalter told ABC15 Arizona.

“Everything I see in that video is Tyron just trying to avoid being harmed by these officers and that only makes them increase the escalation and the violence that they’re using.”

Tyron McAlpin’s arrest

The arrest stems from a morning call from Circle K convenience store employees who reported that a white man was causing problems and wouldn’t leave the store, records show.

While being trespassed, the man claimed he was assaulted by a Black man and pointed across the street at McAlpin.

Officers Harris and Sue never confirmed the validity of the man’s claims and left him to go after McAlpin.

ABC15 Arizona reports the man’s assault claim was later refuted by store employees and surveillance video, records show.

After reportedly handcuffing McAlpin, his wife arrived at the arrest and told the officers that he was deaf and had cerebral palsy, according to body camera footage. None of the officers at the scene included any information about McAplin’s disabilities.

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McAlpin’s initial pretrial conference is scheduled for November 13, and his trial is scheduled for late February.


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Police

Judge rules Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death, dismisses major charges against former Louisville officers

U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson’s ruling declared that the actions of Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who fired a shot at police the night of the raid, were the legal cause of her death, not a warrant.

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Kenneth Walker lawsuit settled
Breonna Taylor/Kenneth Walker

A federal judge has ruled that Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend was responsible for the beloved EMT’s death.

From the case, the judge also dismissed major felony charges against two former Louisville officers accused of falsifying a warrant that led police to Breonna Taylor’s door before they fatally shot her.

Judge rules Breonna Taylor’s death was not from warrant

U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson’s ruling declared that the actions of Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who fired a shot at police the night of the raid, were the legal cause of her death, not a warrant.

Charges dismissed

Federal charges against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany were filed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022. Garland accused Jaynes and Meany, who were not present at the botched raid, of knowing they had falsified part of the warrant and put Taylor in a precarious situation by sending armed officers to her apartment.

But Simpson wrote in the Aug 27 Tuesday ruling that “there is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor’s death.” Simpson’s ruling effectively reduced the civil rights violation charges against Jaynes and Meany, which had carried a maximum sentence of life in prison, to misdemeanors.

The judge did not dismiss the conspiracy charge against Jaynes and another charge against Meany, who is accused of making false statements to investigators.

Botched raid

When police executed a drug warrant and broke down Taylor’s door in March 2020, Walker fired a shot that struck an officer in the leg. Walker said he believed an intruder was bursting in. Officers returned fire, striking and killing 26-year-old Taylor in her hallway.

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Simpson resolved that Walker’s “conduct became the proximate, or legal, cause of Taylor’s death.”

“While the indictment alleges that Jaynes and Meany set off a series of events that ended in Taylor’s death, it also alleges that (Walker) disrupted those events when he decided to open fire” on the police, Simpson wrote.

Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend lawsuit

Walker was initially arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer.

The charge was later dismissed after his attorneys successfully argued Walker didn’t know he was firing at police.

He later filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police and received a $2 million settlement.

CBS reports a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to the news outlet that the department is reviewing the judge’s decision and assessing next steps.

 

 


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