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Protests in Baltimore over man's death in police custody
By AMANDA LEE MYERS and TOM FOREMAN Jr.
Apr. 25, 2015 1:24 PM EDT
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake speaks in front of local faith leaders at a news conference regarding the death of Freddie Gray, Friday, April 24, 2015, in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a police van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Protesters who have been holding demonstrations almost daily this week over the death of Freddie Gray are promising their biggest march yet a day after the Baltimore Police Department acknowledged that it failed to get him the medical attention he needed after his arrest.
Protesters vowed to "shut down" the city by marching through the streets and snarling traffic. The president of a black lawyers' group predicted thousands of people would turn out for the demonstration, when good weather is forecast and the Baltimore Orioles host the Boston Red Sox.
"Things will change on Saturday, and the struggle will be amplified," said Malik Shabazz of Black Lawyers for Justice. "It cannot be business as usual with that man's spine broken, with his back broken, with no justice on the scene."
Shabazz has demanded the arrest of six officers involved in the arrest of Gray, who died Sunday a week after suffering a spinal injury while in police custody.
The officers are suspended with pay and under criminal investigation by their own department. The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing the case for any civil rights violations, and Gray's family is conducting their own probe.
Late Friday, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis said Gray, 25, should have received medical attention at the spot where he was arrested — before he was put inside a police transport van handcuffed and without a seat belt, a violation of the Police Department's policy.
Gray, who is black, was arrested April 12 after he made eye contact with officers and ran away, police said. Officers held him down, handcuffed him and loaded him into the van. While inside, he became irate and leg cuffs were put on him, police have said.
Gray asked for medical help several times, beginning before he was placed in the van. After a 30-minute ride that included three stops, paramedics were called.
Authorities have not explained how or when Gray's spine was injured.
Commissioner Anthony Batts said it was possible Gray was hurt before the van ride or during a "rough ride" — where officers hit the brakes and take sharp turns to injure suspects in the back of vans.
"We know he was not buckled in the transportation wagon as he should have been. There's no excuse for that, period," Batts said. "We know our police employees failed to give him medical attention in a timely manner multiple times."
Earlier Friday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she has many questions.
"I still want to know why the policies and procedures for transport were not followed," she said. "I still want to know why none of the officers called for immediate medical assistance despite Mr. Gray's apparent pleas.
"The one thing we all know is because of this incident a mother has to bury their child and she doesn't even know exactly how or why this tragedy occurs — only that this occurs while her child was in police custody," the mayor said. "This is absolutely not acceptable, and I want answers."
Rawlings-Blake expects the results of the Police Department's investigation to be turned over to prosecutors in a week, and they will decide whether any criminal charges will be filed or whether to put the case before a grand jury. There is no timetable for when that will happen.
The leader of a group of local ministers called on Batts to resign immediately.
"It seems that no one in the Police Department can explain what happened," said the Rev. Alvin Gwynn Sr., president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Baltimore.
He said the Police Department is "in disarray" and Batts has shown a "lack of viable leadership capabilities."
The mayor appeared to back the police commissioner at her own news conference, and Batts defended his record, saying he was brought on in 2012 to reform the department. Since then, he said he has fired 50 employees and reduced the number of officer-involved shootings and excessive force complaints.
The Rev. Frank Reid of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, who met with Rawlings-Blake on Friday, said he wants to believe the Police Department's investigation will be transparent.
"I want to take them at their word, but the purpose of being here today is to not only to let the city know but the Police Department know that we're going to hold them accountable," Reid said. "This is not going to go away. ... Business as usual is no longer acceptable. This is all too frequent. It's a historic issue, and we want to stop it now."
Violence mars Baltimore protest over Freddie Gray's death in police custody
Peaceful rally in Baltimore over black man's death in custody turns into a rampage with 12 arrested after windows smashed and stores looted
PUBLISHED : Monday, 27 April, 2015, 12:35am
UPDATED : Monday, 27 April, 2015, 12:37am
Agence France-Presse in Baltimore
A demonstrator in Baltimore uses a traffic cone to break the window of a police car during protests over the death of Freddie Gray. Photo: AFP
Protesters rampaged through downtown Baltimore yesterday as the city's biggest demonstration yet over the death of a young black man in police custody turned violent.
More than 1,000 people had joined a peaceful 90-minute rally at city hall demanding justice for Freddie Gray, 25, who died last Sunday from spinal injuries, a week after he was arrested in west Baltimore.
But the mood shifted dramatically when scores of protesters moved to the vicinity of the Camden Yards baseball stadium, scene of an evening Baltimore Orioles-Boston Red Sox game.
Twelve people were arrested, police commissioner Anthony Batts told reporters.
"My family wants to say: 'Please, please stop the violence.' Freddie would not want this," Gray's sister Fredericka said.
Local television footage showed a crowd hurling traffic cones, soda bottles and trash cans at police officers, before randomly smashing store windows, looting merchandise and vandalising police cars.
Targets included a 7-Eleven convenience store, a Michael Kors fashion boutique, a financial services centre and a cellphone shop in Baltimore's landmark Lexington Market.
Street signs were torn down, and one motorist got a rock through her car window, local news media reported. At least one city bus was also struck. Five police cars were seen getting their windows smashed, before riot-equipped police intervened.
Later in the evening, dozens of police formed a cordon around the Western District police station, scene of nightly protests since Gray died.
Tensions have been simmering in the Mid-Atlantic port city of 620,000 as investigators try to establish the circumstances that led to Gray's death.
Speakers at the city hall rally called for President Barack Obama to launch a national inquiry into police misconduct, following a series of fatal confrontations between white police officers and black men and boys.
During a press conference, officials acknowledged Gray should have received medical help at the moment of his arrest, when he was seen by bystanders - and caught on video - howling in apparent pain. They also revealed that Gray, contrary to police department policy, was not buckled into his seat in the van, which made at least three unexplained stops on its way to the Western District police station.
Gray died last Sunday with 80 per cent of his spine severed at the neck, lawyers for his family have said. His funeral is scheduled for today.
Six officers have been suspended with pay as the police investigation inches closer to a May 1 deadline to submit findings to a state prosecutor.
Gray's death is the latest in a string of high-profile confrontations between blacks and police, including the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August in the St Louis, Missouri, suburb of Ferguson.
Freddy Gray death: Troops called in to quell Baltimore riots
Date April 28, 2015 - 10:41AM
Nick O'Malley
US correspondent for Fairfax Media
The Maryland Governor has declared a state of emergency and activated National Guard troops to assist police quell riots in the city of Baltimore after seven police were injured.
The rioting broke out in the afternoon after the funeral of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died after his spinal cord was severed while he was being transported by police earlier this month.
Smoke billows from a chemist located in Baltimore. Photo: AP
His family and civil rights leaders had called for peace after the funeral, but by nightfall cars and stores had been torched and police had lost control of several blocks of the city's inner suburbs.
Tension had grown throughout the day in Baltimore after police reported they had a "credible threat" that high profile gangs – the Black Guerrilla Family, the Crips and the Bloods – had "entered into a partnership to take out law enforcement officers."
Also a tweet had bounced around inner city high schools urging students to "purge" at 3pm when school came out. This was a reference to a 2013 horror film about a 12-hour period of lawlessness.
Rioter jumps on a damaged police department vehicle during clashes in Baltimore. Photo: Reuters
The first skirmishes broke out at around that time, when students left schools. Handfuls of people who looked young enough to be school students began hurling bottles and rocks at police.
A man walks past a burning police vehicle, during unrest following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Photo: AP
By 6pm the crowds had grown and those in them no longer looked like school children. Cars had been torched and looting was underway as police struggled to gain control before darkness set in.
State police reinforcements were called in and the National Guard was placed standby. A bottle store was looted as was a pharmacy, that was later set on fire as police attempted to reassert control.
The state of emergency was declared and the Guard called in as darkness set in at around 7pm.
At one point firefighters managed to run hoses onto the burning building and even as CNN filmed people darted out to stick knives into the hose.
Police were restrained in their response, moving slowly – sometimes behind clouds of pepper spray – but not trying to arrest the rioters.
All out war between kids and police pic.twitter.com/19y4YJ2Y5X
— Erica L. Green (@EricaLG) April 27, 2015
By 6.30pm a major league baseball game to have been played later in the evening had been delayed and rioters began trying to force their way towards the downtown area.
Some of those on the streets appeared to be calling for peace while others kept throwing missiles at police lines.
Local religious leaders called on families to ensure young people came home rather than remained on the street.
Throughout the afternoon and evening Fox News hosts, journalists and guests reported time and again that Baltimore's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had instructed police to give protesters the space to destroy property.
This was not true.
They were referring to a press conference she gave after earlier instances of violence on Saturday, in which she said that she had instructed police to give protesters space to exercise their freedom of speech, and in that space some had committed acts of violence.
Her office reiterated that point on Monday in a statement.
Despite the early warnings of violence authorities seemed to be completely unprepared and overwhelmed by the crowds on the streets.
Earlier this month 25-year-old Freddie Gray became the latest in a string of African Americans to die at the hands of police prompting protests and in some cases riots around the country.
According to police reports Mr Gray had "made eye contact" with officers in Baltimore, which prompted them to arrest him and put him back in the of a police van.
He came out of the van with a severed spinal cord and died a week later.
It has now been speculated that he was victim of what is known as "rough ride", an unsanctioned and illegal police practice in which detainees are handcuffed but left without a seatbelt in the back of a police van which is then driven violently in order to hurl them around.
Freddie Gray case: Baltimore awaits answers in black man's death in police custody
Date April 30, 2015 - 5:28AM
Scott Malone, Ian Simpson and Warren Strobel
Melech Thomas chants during a demonstration outside the State Attorney's office calling for the continued investigation into the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Photo: AP
Baltimore: Police and National Guard troops patrolled Baltimore's streets, giving the city a semblance of calm on Wednesday after the worst civil unrest in decades as residents await an official account of the death of a 25-year-old black man.
After a curfew helped police thwart the kind of violence that saw buildings burned and stores looted on Monday night, schools reopened and business resumed in the city where the man, Freddie Gray, died April 19 of spinal injuries suffered while in police custody.
The city of 620,000 became the latest flashpoint in a national movement against law enforcement's use of lethal force, which protesters say is disproportionately exercised against minorities. The deaths of black men over the past year at the hands of police in New York, Ferguson, Missouri; Cleveland, Ohio, and elsewhere reignited a debate about race relations in the United States.
Protestors demonstrate outside the State Attorney's office calling for the continued investigation into the death of Freddie Gray. Photo: AP
Baltimore's Major League Baseball team, the Orioles, played the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, but without any spectators at the stadium, in a sign of the tenuous security situation. It was the first the first spectator-free game MLB history. The gates were locked to fans but ticket-holders were offered refunds or game date transfers.
"The baseball game, played without fans, cost the city about 50 jobs overall and about $US320,000 ($398,017) in sales tax," Daraius Irani, economist at Towson University, told CNN. "But the heart-wrenching images being broadcast ... the concern is major retailers may think twice now (about coming into new developments) with what is going on."
Baltimore's Symphony Orchestra staged an impromptu concert for a gathering of several hundred people.
'There is something wrong when a third of all black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes,' ... Hillary Clinton during a keynote address on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
"I'm going to be going to some actions that will be much more about Freddie Gray and about what happened, but I like that this has the potential to be a healing event," said Sam Williamson, 24, as he listened to the music.
If the police investigation finds no wrongdoing by the six officers involved in Gray's arrest, Williamson predicted more protests would follow. "There will be a lot more demonstrations and they will be larger," he said.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez throws to Chicago White Sox's Adam Eaton in the MLB's first-ever spectator-free baseball game at Oriole Park, Camden Yards in Baltimore. Photo: AP
Gray had been arrested on April 12 after fleeing from police in a high-crime area and was carrying a switchblade knife.
Baltimore Police have said they will conclude their investigation by the end of the week, when the results will be turned over to state prosecutors and followed by an independent review.
Fans stand locked out of a Baltimore Orioles baseball game against the Chicago White Sox amid unrest in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police. Photo: Matt Rourke
'Want to know truth'
It is still unclear if the police will make public their findings, but residents seemed to turn their focus to Friday and several expressed a desire to see at least some of the officers held accountable.
"It doesn't have to be all of them, we don't want to be told some story. We want to know the truth," said Kevin Eaton, a 52-year-old musician.
A National Guard vehicle passes outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards before a spectator-free baseball game. Photo: AP
Action against any of the officers, he said, "that would be a victory. That would be historic. The minute we hold one of them responsible for this, that will be a victory."
The US Department of Justice is conducting a separate probe into possible civil rights violations.
New US Attorney General Loretta Lynch called Baltimore's riots "senseless acts of violence" that are counterproductive to the ultimate goal of "developing a respectful conversation within the Baltimore community and across the nation about the way our law enforcement officers interact" with residents.
The attendance board in the press room before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Photo: Getty Images
Diving into the debate over police use of force, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged police departments throughout the country to use body cameras and called for an end to excessive prison sentences that burden black communities.
"There is something wrong when a third of all black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes," said Clinton.
Some Baltimore residents, echoing that view, saw Baltimore's plight as part of a bigger problem in America.
"People, especially African-Americans, have been brutalised," said Tony Jefferson, 67, who was on his way to get a haircut at a barber shop a block from the main protest site.
"It's happening all over the country," he added. "Something is terribly wrong with America."
Monday's rioting in Baltimore followed a week of largely peaceful protests in the city, where almost a quarter of the residents live below the poverty line. The neighbourhood that saw the worst of the violence was already filled with many burned-out buildings and vacant lots that had not been rebuilt since the 1968 riots that followed the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Baltimore unrest subsides as police seek to disperse angry crowd
Date April 30, 2015 - 12:52AM
William Selway
A police officer walks by a blaze on Monday after rioters plunged part of Baltimore into chaos. Photo: AP
Baltimore: Unrest in Baltimore subsided as National Guard troops and police flooded the streets to enforce a curfew intended to prevent a second night of looting and violence.
As the 10 pm curfew took effect on Tuesday in the US, police in riot gear used pepper spray to disperse dozens of people on North Avenue. Some in the crowd hurled rocks and other items at officers. Elsewhere, streets were largely empty.
Baltimore peacemakers make heart gestures with their hands as they stand between riot police and rioters. Photo: Reuters
"The curfew is, in fact, working," Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said at a news conference. "Citizens are safe. The city is stable. We hope to maintain it that way."
The relative calm came after rioters burned cars, clashed with officers and looted businesses following the funeral Freddie Gray, 25, a black man who died in police custody on Monday. The strife follows unrest in other US cities, such as Ferguson, Missouri, amid anger over the deaths of black men in encounters with law enforcement.
In Baltimore, at least 20 officers were injured and 235 people were arrested in the violence that followed the funeral. Gray, 25, died on April 19 after suffering spinal-cord injuries while in police custody.
People hold hands in front of police officers in riot gear outside a looted and burned store in Baltimore on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called in the National Guard to restore order.
Soon after people were ordered off the streets on Tuesday night, white gas could be seen rising from the intersection of North and Pennsylvania avenues after police fired balls of pepper spray into the crowd. Baltimore police described the group as "aggressive and disorderly" in a Twitter message. About ten people were arrested after the curfew took effect, according to Commissioner Batts, who didn't describe the charges.
A woman, filmed berating and hitting a black-clad teenager, later confirmed to be her son, has been hailed as "mum of the year" after her intervention.
"That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray," Toya Graham said.
Festive mood
Earlier in the evening, the mood at the intersection was more festive. High school cheerleaders danced in formation.
Chris Jenkins, a 32-year-old banker, stopped to take a photo and thank young people for coming out peacefully.
"We want justice in the long term," said Mr Jenkins. "That's going to mean some recognition of the issues at hand about the police."
The unrest started on Monday, when high school students gathered at the city's Mondawmin Mall and threw concrete blocks and rocks at officers, the commissioner said.
Television images showed looting at a check-cashing business and the destruction of a police vehicle in the city, which is about 64 kilometres northeast of Washington. During the ensuing turmoil, some 144 vehicles were burned.
'Rough period'
"Last night was a very rough period for our city, but today I think we saw a lot more of what Baltimore is about," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters.
"We saw people coming together to reclaim our city, to clean our city and to help heal our city. I think this can be our defining moment, and not the darkest days that we saw yesterday."
Baltimore ordered a citywide curfew from 10 pm. and 5 am. Ms Rawlings-Blake said the restrictions would last for at least a week.
Andre Brown, a 35-year-old who grew up in subsidised housing in west Baltimore, said the unrest reflects the hopelessness felt by young black men who see little way of escaping from the poverty.
"They don't see any future," he said. "There's no hope in the neighbourhoods."
President Barack Obama denounced the violence while saying police departments must rebuild trust in their communities. He said what happened in Baltimore wasn't a protest.
"When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they're not protesting, they're not making a statement," Mr Obama said at a White House news conference on Tuesday. "They're stealing."
Obama Inquiry
The Justice Department has opened a preliminary civil-rights inquiry into Gray's death, as the Obama administration scrutinises law-enforcement practices nationwide.
Last month, the Justice Department criticised the civil-rights record of police in Ferguson after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by an officer in the St Louis suburb.
Michael Brown's shooting on August 9 and several other incidents across the US, including the death of an unarmed black man who was placed in a chokehold by a white New York City police officer, sparked widespread protests.
Six Baltimore police officers have been suspended as authorities investigate the circumstances of Gray's arrest and whether criminal charges are warranted.
Social media may be an incredible tool to stay in touch with the world, but it can also be a boon top forgers and imposters.
The ongoing riots in the US city of Baltimore have brought with them a surge of fake social media posts purporting to show scenes of looting and destruction.
This image actually came from Baltimore. Photo: Getty Images
Many involve individuals taking credit for crimes when, in fact, they may have been no where near the strife.
The popular #baltimorelootcrew hashtag on Twitter appears to show more out-dated and satirical images than it does actual pictures from Baltimore.
Some are clearly making fun of the hashtag and the rioters while others appear to be using it to pretend they are taking part in the civil unrest.
This photograph appeared online as far back as 2013. Photo: Twitter
Other hashtags like #BaltimoreRiots and #BaltimoreUprising appear more reliable but also appear to feature mostly images from professional photographers and reporters.
No tourists were robbed in the production of this photograph. It comes from a stock image service. Photo: Twitter
It appears that very few of the most popular images on social media actually originated in Baltimore.
While some are legitimate images of real riots and looting, many come from other events around the world.
Real looters, wrong riot. This photograph was taken in London in 2012. Photo: Twitter
And at least one appears to have previously been debunked when it was circulated months ago and linked to the Ferguson riots. It was not a shot of Ferguson either.
This image also became popular online during the Ferguson riots. It was not an image of those riots either. Photo: Twitter
The deluge of images pouring onto the social media platform has even sparked warnings from some journalism and media educators who say it is critical for media outlets to verify any images or claims they find on social media before circulating them further.
All six Baltimore police officers charged after Freddie Gray's death declared 'homicide' by authorities
State prosecutor: "To the people of Baltimore: I heard your call for 'no justice, no peace'. I will seek justice on your behalf."
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 02 May, 2015, 1:18am
UPDATED : Saturday, 02 May, 2015, 1:18am
Agence France-Presse in Washington
State prosecutor Marilyn Mosby announces criminal charges against six officers relating to Freddie Gray's death. Photo: AP
Prosecutors in Baltimore yesterday charged six officers with multiple counts including second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of a 25-year-old African-American man in police custody.
State prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said warrants have been issued for the arrest of the Baltimore Police Department officers over the death of Freddie Gray, which sparked days of protests and rioting in the US East Coast port city.
"The findings of our comprehensive, thorough and independent investigation, coupled with the medical examiner's determination that Mr Gray's death was a homicide, which we received today, has led us to believe that we have probable cause to file criminal charges," Mosby said.
"To the people of Baltimore: I heard your call for 'no justice, no peace'. I will seek justice on your behalf."
A crowd of people who gathered to listen to the prosecutor's announcement broke into applause and drivers honked their car horns after she finished speaking. Some of the onlookers chanted: "Justice for Freddie!"
Gray, who had a record of non-violent drug offences, died on April 19 from spinal injuries sustained when he was arrested a week earlier in a west Baltimore public housing estate.
Facing the most serious charges of second-degree murder is Officer Caesar Goodson, the driver of the van that transported Gray to a police station.
Goodson, 45, was also charged with assault, manslaughter and misconduct. Three other officers were charged with manslaughter, and two more charged with assault and misconduct.
Mosby said officers had "illegally arrested" Gray as "no crime had been committed".
She urged protesters to keep the peace in the wake of the charges, and reiterated that the investigation was ongoing.
Gray has become the latest face of an ongoing national debate over whether American police are too quick to use violence against blacks - especially young men.
A man celebrates after hearing the charges. Photo: AFP
Before the charges were announced, the Baltimore police officers union had defended the officers in a letter to Mosby.
"As tragic as this situation is, none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of Mr Gray," Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 President Gene Ryan wrote. "To the contrary, at all times, each of the officers diligently balanced their obligations to protect Mr Gray and discharge their duties to protect the public."
Meanwhile, US officials announced a US$20 million pilot programme to help equip law enforcement agencies across the country with body cameras.
The programme is part of a general push by American police agencies to outfit officers with cameras to provide clear recordings of arrests, and is part of a proposal by President Barack Obama last year to invest US$75 million to purchase 50,000 body cameras. The move comes amid growing calls for transparency and accountability in the law enforcement community after a string of high-profile deadly encounters between white police officers and black men.
"Body-worn cameras hold tremendous promise for enhancing transparency, promoting accountability, and advancing public safety for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve," the new attorney general, Loretta Lynch, said.
Washington (AFP) - Baltimore police enforced a curfew for a third night, as new reports emerged over how the black man at the center of the latest US racial unrest sustained fatal injuries while in police custody.
Fresh protests had broken out in Baltimore and Philadelphia earlier over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray -- the latest household name in the national debate over whether American police are too quick to use violence against blacks, especially young men.
As a 10:00 pm curfew began in Baltimore, officers formed a cordon and engaged in a brief but mostly non-violent confrontation with a handful of protesters. Afterwards, calm was restored and the streets were largely vacated.
The demonstrations echo protests that erupted in a St Louis suburb last year when a white policeman shot dead an unarmed black teenager, and then flared again in major US cities when a grand jury declined to indict the officer.
On Thursday around 600 people marched in Baltimore, a city of 620,000 an hour's drive from Washington that has witnessed some of its worst unrest in decades.
But there was no immediate return to the scenes that made worldwide headlines on Monday when violence and looting shook the city following Gray's funeral.
- Medical findings -
Gray died with 80 percent of his spine severed at the neck, lawyers for his family say, portraying him as just the latest young African American to die at the hands of the police in the United States.
The circumstances surrounding his April 12 arrest and how he sustained the injuries that killed him a week later remain murky and the subject of intense speculation.
Adding to the simmering anger, WJLA, an ABC affiliate, cited "multiple law enforcement" sources as saying that a medical examiner found the spinal injury was caused when Gray slammed into the back of the police transport van after his arrest, breaking his neck.
A head injury he suffered matches a bolt in the back of the van, the report said, stressing it was not immediately clear what propelled him into the back of the vehicle.
Adding to the intrigue, police revealed that the van made a previously undisclosed stop between when Gray was arrested and when the vehicle arrived at the police precinct.
Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis did not elaborate on the significance of this.
An attorney for Gray's family, Mary Koch, told CNN that she had "no way of validating the information" and that a cause of death had not yet been rendered by the medical examiner.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that "people should take a deep breath to wait for the entire information and hopefully these leaks won't poison what's happening."
- Rally in Philadelphia -
Philadelphia also saw protests Thursday, demanding justice for Gray and an end to what demonstrators said is overly aggressive policing, particularly in confronting black Americans.
About 600 people gathered in the "City of Brotherly Love," police said, in what was a mostly peaceful march.
But a hardcore element briefly clashed with officers when they attempted to take the rally onto a freeway.
At one point protesters surrounded a police car, and later a push and shove ensued between demonstrators and officers who pulled out their batons, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
No one was seriously hurt and police arrested four people but later released two, the newspaper said, adding one officer was hit in the face by a bucket thrown from the crowd.
On Wednesday thousands of demonstrators hit the streets in Baltimore, New York -- where police made 143 arrests -- Washington and Boston.
Police and Gray's family have repeatedly appealed for calm and an emergency nighttime curfew, running between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am, remains in place for Baltmore and will continue over the weekend, when large demonstrations are anticipated.
Since Monday's riots, a total of 98 Baltimore police officers have been injured, of whom 43 required emergency medical treatment.
Detectives probing Gray's death have handed their investigation over to prosecutors, but Batts urged people not to rush to conclusions.
"I understand the frustration, I understand the sense of urgency, and so has the organization and that is why we have finished (the probe) a day ahead of time," Batts said.
Freddie Gray case: Six Baltimore police officers charged in death of black man
Date May 2, 2015 - 10:05PM
Nick O'Malley
US correspondent for Fairfax Media
Baltimore: Thousands of protesters have hit the streets of Baltimore again despite the charging of six police officers over the death of a 25-year-old African American whose spine was snapped in custody.
The charges - ranging from second-degree murder and manslaughter to misconduct - were set out on Friday in a surprise announcement by Maryland state prosecutor Marilyn Mosby.
A protester watches soldiers pass as curfew approaches on Friday. Photo: AP
All six officers - three of them black and three white, according to mug-shots broadcast by CNN - were taken into custody and later posted bond, reports said.
The death of Freddie Gray, 25, just the latest black American to lose his life at the hands of police, has reignited simmering resentment in the United States over police tactics, particularly in their dealings with African Americans.
Earlier on Friday, speaking from the steps of the war memorial opposite the Baltimore City Hall, Ms Mosby addressed protesters around the country, saying she had heard their chant of "no justice, no peace", and that now she needed their peace to provide them justice.
A man celebrates as people gather in the streets of Baltimore following the decision to charge six Baltimore police officers over the death of Freddie Gray. Photo: Reuters
Mr Gray, who died a week after his April 12 arrest, suffered a critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed inside the van.
"We put all our resources to make sure we were pursuing and leading where the facts took us in this case, which was to pursue justice," Mosby said, a day after the Baltimore Police Department turned over findings from its internal investigation. "We have probable cause to file criminal charges."
Ms Mosby publicly delivered her stunning, detailed narrative of extensive police misconduct in the latest of several cases nationwide that have fuelled anger over heavy-handed law enforcement tactics in low-income, mainly Africa-American communities in the US.
Powerful statement: Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby says she is delivering justice on behalf of Freddie Gray. Photo: AP
But if nervous authorities had hoped the announcement would ease palpable tensions on the streets, a march that grew bigger by every passing hour suggested otherwise.
Several thousand people rallied from City Hall through downtown streets lined with riot police, demanding justice and an end to alleged racism and police brutality.
Ms Mosby's address had stunned reporters and other observers who had gathered for the press conference expecting an update about an ongoing investigation.
Died in police custody in Baltimore: 25-year-old Freddie Gray's death has been ruled a homicide and six police have been charged. Photo: CNN
She instead said police claims that Mr Gray had been arrested for possession of switchblade were false. In fact, officers had searched Gray after he "made eye contact" with them and, after a chase, found he had legal knife with a folding blade.
Ms Mosby said that time and again police mistreated Gray, arresting him with no grounds, violating police procedure by putting him in cuffs and leg cuffs in the van without seat belting him and then repeatedly failing to get him medical attention. She said that when he was removed from the wagon, "Mr. Gray was no longer breathing at all."
The officer who drove the van, Caesar Goodson Jr, 45, faces the most serious charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, second-degree assault, two vehicular manslaughter charges and misconduct in office.
Renay Battle, left, and Charvae Day, right, react to the news. Photo: AP
Five other officers face a variety of charges including involuntary manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office.
Mosby said the Maryland chief medical examiner ruled Gray's death a homicide. The 25-year-old Gray was no longer breathing when he was finally removed from the van, Mosby said.
A lawyer for Baltimore's police union reacted angrily to the charges, calling them "an egregious rush to judgment" and saying that "these officers did nothing wrong."
Protesters march after a rally at City Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday. The event in Philadelphia followed days of unrest in Baltimore.
Protesters march after a rally at City Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday. The event in Philadelphia followed days of unrest in Baltimore. Photo: AP
With Reuters, New York Times, Washington Post, AFP
'They did nothing wrong': Baltimore lawyer insists officers charged over Freddie Gray's death are innocent
Lawyer made the claim after shocking events leading to the death of Freddie Gray revealed
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 03 May, 2015, 12:31am
UPDATED : Sunday, 03 May, 2015, 1:55am
Associated Press in Baltimore
The six police officers facing charges.Photo: The Washington Post
Celebrations filled Baltimore after the city's top prosecutor charged six police officers with felonies from assault to murder in the death of Freddie Gray, but a police union lawyer insisted they had done nothing wrong.
State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Gray's arrest was illegal and unjustified, and that his neck was broken because he was handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van, where his pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored as he bounced around inside the small metal box.
The swiftness of her announcement, less than a day after receiving the police department's criminal investigation and official autopsy results, took the city by surprise. So too did her detailed description, based in part on her office's independent investigation, of the evidence supporting probable cause to charge all six officers.
Gray's death came amid a national debate about the deaths of black men at the hands of police.
Mosby's announcement triggered celebrations across the same West Baltimore streets that were smouldering just four days earlier, when Gray's funeral led to riots and looting.
"We are satisfied with today's charges," Gray's stepfather, Richard Shipley, told a news conference. "These charges are an important step in getting justice for Freddie."
But a lawyer hired by the police union insisted the officers did nothing wrong. Attorney Michael Davey said that Mosby had committed "an egregious rush to judgment".
"We have grave concerns about the fairness and integrity of the prosecution of our officers," Davey said.
The police had no reason to stop or chase after Gray, Mosby said. They falsely accused him of having an illegal switchblade when in fact it was a legal pocketknife. The van driver and the other officers failed to strap him down with a seatbelt, a direct violation of department policy, and they ignored Gray's repeated pleas for medical attention, even rerouting the van to pick up another passenger.
Mosby did not say whether there was any indication the driver deliberately drove erratically, causing Gray's body to strike the van's interior. In 2005, a man died of a fractured spine after he was transported in a Baltimore police van without a seat belt. At a civil trial, a lawyer for his family successfully argued police had given him a "rough ride".
The officers missed five opportunities to help an injured and falsely imprisoned detainee before he arrived at the police station no longer breathing, she said.
Along the way, "Mr Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the wagon," she concluded.
The six officers turned themselves in at the city jail on Friday afternoon after the charges were announced. All were later released on bonds of between US$250,000 and US$350,000.
Some law enforcement veterans worried that the charges could have a chilling effect. Robert Leight, a former detective in Pennsylvania who has worked for the FBI and as a federal prosecutor and defence lawyer, said: "The biggest danger is that the police officer will not properly perform his duties."
Gray was stopped by police in Sandtown, a poor, overwhelmingly African-American neighbourhood in West Baltimore. He locked eyes with a police officer and then ran. Two blocks later, they pinned him to the pavement, handcuffed him and dragged him into a transport van, a scene captured on a bystander's mobile phone and shown around the world.
Mosby said the police review, the autopsy and her own office's investigation all pointed to homicide. The officers were booked on Friday on charges ranging from assault and manslaughter, carrying 10-year prison sentences, to second-degree murder, which could put the van driver in prison for 30 years if convicted.
Three of the officers charged, including the van driver, are also black, according to online court records. The others are classified without elaboration as "White, Caucasian, Asiatic Indian, Arab."
Black prisoner died in police custody after suffering severe spinal injuries, sparking demonstrations in Baltimore
These undated photos provided by the Baltimore Police Department, show Baltimore police officers, top row from left, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Garrett E. Miller and Edward M. Nero, and bottom row from left, William G. Porter, Brian W. Rice and Alicia D. White, charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray. Photo: AP
By AP
10:39PM BST 21 May 2015
The top prosecutor in Baltimore says all six officers charged in the police-custody death of an African-American man have been indicted by a grand jury.
Marilyn Mosby, state's attorney, made the announcement on Thursday. The charges returned by the grand jury were similar to the charges Mosby announced about three weeks ago.
Freddie Gray
Ms Mosby has said Freddie Gray's neck was broken because he was injured while being handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van. She says his pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored.
State attorney Marilyn Mosby said police had five different opportunities to strap Mr Gray safely into a seat in the van but chose not to
Gray was arrested April 12. He died in a hospital a week later and became a symbol of what protesters say was police brutality against blacks.
