Baltimore Police Find Deadly Object on The Body of Freddie Gray That Could Be a Game-Changer

The narrative all along in the case of Freddie Gray is that an innocent man was caught up in the crossfire of an overly zealous Baltimore police force that targeted him for no other reason than the color of his skin.

Then we found out that Freddie Gray had 18 priors. CNN reports:

He had been in and out of prison since 2009 for various drug cases, according to Maryland Department of Corrections spokesman Gerard Shields. In February 2009, he was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of drug possession with intent to deliver. Shields said he could not determine from records what kind of drug was involved.

Gray was paroled on June 30, 2011.

On April 4, 2012, Gray was arrested for violating parole but he didn’t go back to prison, Shields said, reasoning that whatever Gray allegedly did, it “was something minor.”

Gray did return to prison in May 2013 for drug possession, serving a month behind bars before his release in June.

And we also found out that the arresting police officers were representative of the Baltimore police department – 50% white and 50% minority officers:

Freddie Gray was said to be minding his own business standing in a four-block area of Baltimore known to be one of the highest drug-trafficking hotspots on the East Coast, when he was suddenly accosted by the police and tried to flee.

It turns out that Freddie Gray, according to reports, was carrying an illegal weapon: a spring-assisted knife.

The Maryland State’s Attorney’s office has denied that Gray was carrying a “switchblade,” according to a WBAL reporter:

Note that the line of argument is that Freddie Gray was arrested illegally.

But if he was carrying an illegal knife while on parole, this would seem to be problematic for those claiming Gray was wrongfully arrested. 

That is because the Baltimore Sun reports that Gray was carrying a knife that was illegal, according to police:

While Mosby said Friday that the officers had made an illegal arrest because a knife Gray was carrying was not a “switchblade,” a violation of state law, the police task force studied the knife and determined it was “spring-assisted,” which does violate a Baltimore code.

The officers remain free on bail.

Neither Gray’s autopsy nor toxicology report have been released to the public. It has been alleged by a Baltimore police ‘insider’ that Gray tested positive for heroin and marijuana, according to tests run by the University of Maryland.

In any event, it may be the case that the Baltimore police were guilty of criminal negligence for not securing Gray with a seatbelt in the police van or giving him prompt medical aid as requested.

It might even be possible to prove manslaughter if it can be shown that the police intentionally inflicted bodily injury upon Gray, and that he died from the resultant wounds.

It’s a far leap from such claims to say that the police arrested Freddie Gray without probable cause and then brutally murdered him.