Jury selection resumed Tuesday in the trial of a Baltimore Police Department officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
Officer William Porter is the first of six city police officers to go on trial in the closely watched case involving Gray, a 25-year-old black detainee who died after being shackled and placed without a seat belt in a police van.
The trial opened Monday with questioning of the first pool of 75 potential jurors. Another pool of 75 is being questioned Tuesday.
As on Monday, all of Tuesday’s pool told Judge Barry Williams they knew about Gray’s death. All but one on Tuesday — and everyone on Monday — said they knew about a financial settlement the city had reached with Gray’s family.
More than half on both days — 46 Tuesday, 38 Monday — said they had been either the victim of a crime, investigated by law enforcement, convicted or incarcerated, or were under pending criminal charges.
Following preliminary questions, potential jurors are being individually questioned in a conference room out of view of reporters. A similar process was followed Monday.
Some of those questioned Monday will be asked to return on Wednesday; others will be told they don’t need to come back. Williams said Tuesday that opening statements and testimony would begin in the next few days.
Inside the courtroom Monday, the chants of protesters outside could be heard clearly: “All night, all day, we’re going to fight for Freddie Gray.”
No protesters were audible on Tuesday. Only one man with a sign was seen outside the building in the cold rain Tuesday morning.
The April 19 death of Gray made him a symbol of the black community’s distrust of police. His name is now invoked with those of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Tamir Rice in Cleveland; Eric Garner in New York; and other black males who died during encounters with white police officers. In Gray’s case, three of the officers charged are white, three black.
Porter, who is black, is charged with manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment. He has pleaded not guilty. In court, he stood and faced potential jurors as they were questioned.
Although he is the first to go to trial, Porter isn’t facing the most serious of the charges. Prosecutors have indicated in court filings that they consider Porter a potential witness against some of the other officers. If he is convicted, prosecutors could try to force his testimony in their trials.
Five of the six officers charged in Gray’s death, including Porter, gave statements to investigators. They deny using force and have pleaded not guilty to charges ranging from official misconduct to second-degree murder with a depraved heart. The sixth suspect, the van driver, refused to talk with investigators.
Gray’s death spawned protests that erupted on April 27 — the day of his funeral — into violent clashes with police and widespread looting and arson. Hundreds of people were arrested and more than 100 police officers were injured. City officials imposed a curfew, and the governor called in the National Guard to help restore order.
Despite interest in the officers’ trials, no cameras or electronic devices are permitted in the courtroom. No daily transcripts will be provided. And the lawyers on both sides are under a gag order.
All six officers are being tried separately and consecutively. Next up is the van driver, Caesar Goodson, whose trial is set to begin on January 6. Goodson, a black officer who is the lead defendant in the indictment, is charged with the most serious offense — second-degree murder with a depraved heart.
