|
 Prosecutors in the trial of Officer William Porter rested on
Tuesday after five days of testimony aimed at showing his role in
the April death of Freddie Gray. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge
Barry Williams denied a defense motion to dismiss the case.
Porter, 26, faces charges of manslaughter, assault, reckless
endangerment and misconduct. He is the first of six officers, three
of them black, to face trial in Gray's death from a spinal injury
suffered in the back of a police van.
The death of the 25-year-old man triggered protests, rioting and
arson in the largely black city. It also intensified a U.S. debate
on the use of excessive force by police against minorities.
 Gray was arrested after fleeing an officer and for possessing a
knife. He was placed shackled and handcuffed in the van without
being secured by a seat belt.
Porter was present at five of the six stops the van made before the
end of the ride at a police station. Gray then was found unconscious
and not breathing.
The defense has said Porter did not believe Gray, who had feigned
illness when previously arrested, was seriously injured until the
final stop. His lawyers have suggested that responsibility for
seeking medical aid lay with the van's driver, Officer Caesar
Goodson, and Sergeant Alicia White.
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Prosecutors contend that Porter ignored Gray's pleas for medical aid
and his failure to secure him with a seat belt violated department
protocol.
Porter's lawyers have said he will take the stand in his defense.
Charges against the other five officers range from misconduct to
second-degree murder.
The outcome of the trials could influence U.S. prosecutors in
bringing similar charges in cases of alleged police brutality,
according to legal experts.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson and Donna Owens; Editing by Sandra Maler
and Dan Grebler)
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