Baltimore prosecutors have dropped all remaining charges against the six police officers charged with the murder of Freddie Gray. Gray, 25, died after sustaining a neck injury while in police custody in April 2015.
Gray’s death became a symbol of the black community’s mistrust of police and triggered days of protests and riots in Baltimore, reports CNN. The city became a focal point of the Black Lives Matter movement and the nationwide debate on excessive police force. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the decision was “agonizing,” and she slammed the way police handled their investigation into the case.
Reverend Rodney McKenzie Jr., director of the Academy for Leadership and Action at the National LGBTQ Task Force, released the following statement saying the Task Force was “deeply disappointed at the outcome.”
“We are deeply disappointed with the outcome of the Freddie Gray murder trials. We share our condolences with Freddie Gray’s loved ones and the entire Baltimore community. Dishonoring Freddie Gray’s life by denying him justice is an injury to us all and a threat to fairness and equality everywhere.
“Those in our broken criminal justice system who use unjust loopholes and a flawed bureaucracy to stifle justice must be held accountable. There is something seriously wrong when an entire group of people are singled out, scapegoated, and excessively policed simply because of who they are. We cannot allow the ongoing targeting and murdering of black people in the hands of police to continue.
“We must restore faith in our nation’s criminal justice system, and we must work to reform an institution that unfairly and disproportionately criminalizes black people. We urge all to stand with us as we work to advance racial justice.”
