The jury in the trial for the first of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray sent a note to the judge Tuesday that could be good news for the officer.
The jury’s note informed the Judge Barry G. Williams that they are deadlocked. The judge instructed them to continue deliberating, WUSA9 reports. If the trial remains deadlocked, the judge will likely declare a mistrial. From that point, the charges will either be dropped or the case retried at the prosecutor’s discretion.
Closing arguments finished Monday. The outcome could reignite riots like those in April, and will likely be the biggest ruling since Ferguson officer Darren Wilson was cleared of all charges.
Police arrested Gray in April and transported him in the back of a police van. The details are unclear with conflicting accounts, but Gray appeared healthy when arrested and was severely injured within an hour after his encounter with police. His spinal cord was severely damaged and he died a week later from the injuries.
Baltimore Police Officer William Porter, 26, is the first of six officers to be tried. All will be tried separately. Porter, who is black, is charged with reckless endangerment, misconduct, assault and involuntary manslaughter. Although he did not arrest Gray, he is accused of not properly buckling him into the van, which may have allowed him to slide around in the back, potentially causing the injury.
The other five trials are scheduled for next year.
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