Jury Hung on Officer's Role in Freddie Gray's Death

BALTIMORE, MD - There has been a mistrial declared in the case of Officer William Porter.

Porter is one of six Baltimore Police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old Baltimore man arrested April 12 who died a week later in police custody from what officials said were spinal injuries.

Porter, 26, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office for his alleged role in the detainment of Gray.

Jurors told Judge Barry Williams they were deadlocked Tuesday afternoon, and he instructed them to try to come to a consensus.

On Wednesday afternoon, they had not come to agreement on the four charges, and Williams declared a mistrial.

The judge will meet with attorneys in his chambers to discuss a new trial date and potentially hold more scheduling conferences, Maryland judicial officials said Wednesday evening.

Porter was the first of six officers to stand trial in Gray’s death, and it is not clear whether the mistrial will result in postponements for any of the five subsequent trials.

As Williams issued a gag order for the five cases, the state’s attorney could not comment.

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Since the trial began, the city has been preparing for potential unrest, ramping up efforts to keep citizens safe as the trial came to a close, canceling leave for officers and activating an emergency operations center.

After Gray’s funeral in late April, violence escalated into riots around parts of the city.

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The jury that heard Porter’s case included seven women (four black, three white) and five men (three black, two white).

In the coming months, five more officers will stand trial for their alleged roles in Gray’s death.

Next, Officer Caesar Goodson is scheduled to appear Jan. 6. He faces the most serious charge among the six officers involved: second-degree depraved-heart murder.

The last of the officers’ trials is scheduled for March 9.