Case file
Killing of Freddie Gray
Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.
On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African-American man, was arrested by Baltimore Police in the Gilmor Homes housing project for possession of a knife. According to charging documents, officers on bicycle patrol made eye contact with Gray, who fled, and after a brief chase he was apprehended. Bystander video showed Gray screaming as he was dragged to a police transport van. While being transported, Gray was not secured with a seatbelt, contrary to a department policy that had gone into effect six days earlier. The van made several stops, including one where Gray was removed and placed in leg irons. He was later found unresponsive and taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he died on April 19, 2015, of injuries to his cervical spinal cord.
The Baltimore Police Department suspended six officers with pay pending investigation: Lieutenant Brian Rice, Sergeant Alicia White, and Officers William Porter, Garrett Miller, Edward Nero, and Caesar Goodson. The medical examiner's office ruled Gray's death a homicide, finding officers had failed to follow safety procedures. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against all six officers, ranging from false imprisonment and second-degree assault to manslaughter and, for van driver Officer Goodson, second-degree depraved-heart murder. A grand jury later indicted the officers on most of the original charges, dropping false imprisonment counts but adding reckless endangerment.
Gray's death and hospitalization sparked a series of protests in Baltimore. A protest on April 25, 2015, turned violent, resulting in 34 arrests and injuries to 15 officers. Following Gray's funeral on April 27, unrest intensified with looting and the burning of businesses, including a CVS pharmacy. Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and deployed the Maryland National Guard; a citywide curfew was imposed and later lifted on May 3, 2015, as the Guard withdrew.
The six officers were tried separately beginning in late 2015. Officer Porter's trial ended in a mistrial in December 2015 after a hung jury; charges against him were later dropped. Officers Nero, Goodson, and Rice were acquitted at bench trials in 2016. Charges against the two remaining officers, Miller and White, were dropped in July 2016. Internal disciplinary proceedings followed: Nero and Miller pleaded guilty to departmental violations, while Rice and Goodson were cleared, and Porter and White faced no further administrative action.
On September 8, 2015, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a $6.4 million civil settlement with Gray's family, stated to be independent of any judgment on the officers' guilt or innocence. On September 12, 2017, following a two-year investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not bring federal charges against the six officers, concluding the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they had willfully violated Gray's civil rights.
Key facts
- Victims
- Freddie Gray
- Date
- 2015
- Location
- Gilmor Homes, Sandtown-Winchester, Baltimore, Maryland
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2015-04-12
Freddie Gray is arrested by Baltimore Police near the Gilmor Homes housing project for possession of a knife; he sustains injuries while in police custody.
2015-04-19
Gray dies at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center from injuries to his cervical spinal cord.
2015-04-25
A protest in downtown Baltimore turns violent, resulting in 34 arrests and injuries to 15 police officers.
2015-04-27
After Gray's funeral, civil disorder intensifies with looting and burning of local businesses, including a CVS pharmacy.
2015-05-01
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announces criminal charges against six Baltimore police officers after the medical examiner rules Gray's death a homicide.
2015-05-03
The Maryland National Guard begins withdrawing from Baltimore, and the city's curfew is lifted.
2015-09-02
It is decided that the six officers will face separate trials.
2015-09-08
The city of Baltimore reaches a $6.4 million civil settlement with Gray's family.
2015-12-16
A mistrial is declared in the trial of Officer William Porter after a hung jury.
2016-05
Judge Barry Williams finds Officer Edward Nero not guilty at a bench trial.
2016-06-23
Officer Caesar Goodson is acquitted of all charges by Circuit Judge Barry Williams.
2016-07-18
Lieutenant Brian Rice is found not guilty on all counts by Judge Barry Williams.
2016-07-27
Remaining charges against Officers Garrett Miller and Alicia White, and Officer William Porter, are dropped.
2017-09-12
The U.S. Department of Justice announces it will not bring federal charges against the six officers involved.
Best coverage
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People
Freddie Gray
VICTIM25-year-old man who died from spinal injuries sustained while in Baltimore police custody
citation on file
Brian W. Rice
ACQUITTEDLieutenant charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault, manslaughter by vehicle, and misconduct; found not guilty on all counts on July 18, 2016
citation on file
Garrett E. Miller
CHARGEDOfficer charged with second-degree assault, misconduct in office, and false imprisonment; charges dropped in July 2016
citation on file
Alicia D. White
CHARGEDSergeant charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, and misconduct; charges dropped in July 2016
citation on file
Caesar R. Goodson Jr.
ACQUITTEDOfficer and van driver charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder and other counts; found not guilty on all charges by Circuit Judge Barry Williams on June 23, 2016
citation on file
William G. Porter
CHARGEDOfficer charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, and misconduct in office; first trial ended in mistrial, all charges later dropped in July 2016
citation on file
Edward M. Nero
ACQUITTEDOfficer charged with second-degree assault, misconduct in office, and false imprisonment; found not guilty at bench trial in May 2016
citation on file
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, died on April 19, 2015, a week after sustaining a fatal spinal injury while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department, an event that triggered mass protests and the criminal prosecution of six officers, all of whom were acquitted or had charges dropped.
- Where did the killing happen?
- Gilmor Homes, Sandtown-Winchester, Baltimore, Maryland.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
Sources
- Killing of Freddie Graywikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
- Contemporaneous coverage of Baltimore protests over Freddie Gray's deathnews · CNN · 2026-07-07
- Freddie Gray autopsy report given to Baltimore prosecutorsnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
