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Baltimore City
Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams will hold an afternoon
scheduling hearing with prosecutors and defense lawyers in the
case arising from the death of Freddie Gray in April.
Gray, 25, died from a spinal injury suffered in the back of a
police van, leading to the demonstrations and looting in the
largely black city later that month. It also fueled a U.S.
debate on police treatment of minorities.
Trial is set to start on Oct. 13. That date has been put in
doubt by Williams' decision last month to agree to defense
motions to hold individual trials for the officers.
Williams last month rejected a defense request that the trials
be moved from Baltimore because of intense publicity surrounding
the case.
Police arrested Gray after a foot chase and he was bundled into
a police transport van while shackled and handcuffed. He was not
placed in a seat belt and officers ignored his request for
medical aid.
The officers face charges ranging from second-degree
depraved heart murder for the driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, to
assault, manslaughter and misconduct. Three of the officers are
white and three are black, including one woman.
Citing an initial police review, the Baltimore Sun reported on
Saturday that one of the officers charged with manslaughter,
William Porter, had told Goodson that Gray appeared to need
medical assistance but none was provided at the time.
Baltimore has agreed to pay Gray's family a civil settlement of
$6.4 million.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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