After two weeks of intense court proceedings, jury deliberation has begin on the charges facing William Porter, the first Baltimore police officer on trial for the death of Freddie Gray, according to The Washington Post.
Porter is the first of six officers to be tried in connection to Gray's death, which occurred seven months ago after suffering a spine injury in police custody. Gray's death was ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner, who claimed that she would not have done so if Porter had called for medical assistance when he initially witnessed Gray's medical state according to Reuters.
Prosecutors have claimed this as one reason that Porter is partially responsible for Gray's death, also citing the failure to follow departmental policy that requires officers to buckle prisoners in seat belts, according to Fox News.
Prosecutor Janice Bledsoe described the police wagon that Gray sustained his injuries in as his "casket on wheels," according to FOX News. Porter and the other witnesses claim that it was Caeser Goodson, the driver, whose responsibility it was to ensure Gray was strapped in with a seatbelt and denies hearing Gray's complaints that he couldn't breathe in the vehicle, according to reports by Fox News.
The verdict has the potential to spark protests and possible riots, and the Baltimore Police Department has banned officers from taking any leave over this period as a preemptive measure, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has asked for people to remain calm regardless of the decision of the courts, according to Fox News, stating that "whatever the verdict, we need everyone in our city to respect the judicial process... We need everyone visiting our city to respect Baltimore."
Porter faces manslaughter and assault charges for his part in Gray's death, with additional charges of reckless endangerment and official misconduct.
