Lt. Brian Rice, the highest-ranking police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray, was cleared of all charges on July 18. Rice is the third officer in the case to be acquitted.
Judge Barry G. Williams, the same judge presided over the acquittals of Officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson, cleared Rice of involuntary manslaugher, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office.
Williams said the court cannot rely on "presumptions or assumptions" and "cannot be swayed by sympathy, prejudice, or public opinion."
The Washington Post reports:
Prosecutors sought to show that Rice, as the senior officer on the scene, bore the responsibility for Gray’s death. They said he was well aware of department policy requiring officers to seat-belt all detainees but chose to ignore it. In closing arguments, prosecutor Janice Bledsoe said Rice's actions were deliberate and that the lieutenant wanted to “punish and humiliate” Gray for resisting arrest.
Defense attorneys said Gray’s “belligerent” behavior that morning made it too dangerous for officers to climb into the van’s cramped prisoner compartment and seat-belt him. They said that a crowd of angry onlookers had surrounded the van and that officers rushed to leave the scene because they feared for their safety. Rice's decisions were “100 percent reasonable” given the circumstances, his attorneys said.
Three trials remain in the Freddie Gray Case, including the second trial of William Porter, whose case was declared a mistrial in December 2015.
Officer Garret Miller is scheduled to begin his trial July 27, though Rice's acquittal may reinvigorate calls to drop the charges against the remaining officers altogether.
Read more at The Washington Post.
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