Man Dies Week After Mysterious Baltimore City Arrest

Officials say they are investigating after a 25-year-old Baltimore man died Sunday morning, one week after police were recorded arresting him and dragging him into a van for charges that have yet to be disclosed.

Before the arrest, Freddie Gray was a ”healthy man,” according to William Murphy Jr., the attorney representing Gray’s family.

When four officers on bicycles tried to stop Gray off North Avenue at 8:39 a.m. on Sunday, April 12, police said he ran and was arrested one minute later in the 1700 block of Presbury Street, according to a report from WJZ.

Somehow during the course of his detainment, approximately 80 percent of Gray’s spine was severed; for the past week, he was in a coma at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he underwent surgery and “clung to life” until passing away at 7 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, Murphy said in a statement obtained by Fox 45.

What caused the injuries is unclear.

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“He was taken into custody without the use of force,” Baltimore Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said at a press conference on Monday, April 13. “At some point, we believe that additional restraints were put on” and “at the end of that encounter, [he] was suffering a very serious medical condition which we’re trying to get to the bottom of.”

Police said Gray was put into additional restraints at 8:54 a.m. inside the prisoner transport van, and at 9:24 a.m., an ambulance was called to the western precinct to take him to the hospital, according to WJZ.

Law enforcement officials did not disclose specifics of the reasons behind Gray’s arrest, telling The Baltimore Sun that the details were “vague” and officers thought Gray was “involved or had been recently involved in criminal activity.”

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The attorney for the Gray family attributed the lack of detail to the department’s scramble to get a story in order.

“We believe the police are keeping the circumstances of Freddie’s death secret until they develop a version of events that will absolve them of all responsibility,” Murphy said in a statement. “However, his family and the citizens of Baltimore deserve to know the real truth; and we will not stop until we get justice for Freddie.”

On Saturday, more than 200 people attended a demonstration calling for justice for Gray, some vowing to continue rallying until they learn the truth about what happened during his arrest, WJZ reported.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that authorities had to balance the desire for transparency with the need for the investigation to take its course.

“This will be a transparent process, but our primary focus is to provide a prompt and comprehensive understanding of this incident,” Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference Sunday after Gray’s death. “I want citizens to know exactly how it happened and if necessary I will ensure that we hold the right people accountable.”

The four officers involved in the arrest were placed on administrative assignment, police said.

In addition, a panel is investigating to determine whether the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office will file charges.

The death of Gray comes as the Department of Justice embarks on an 18-month review of Baltimore Police that the city requested in an attempt to strengthen relations between the department and community, according to WBAL.

From 2011 to 2014, the city racked up a $5.7 million tab settling police brutality and misconduct suits, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Screenshots from CBS Evening News/YouTube.