After a week of protests in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore police have admitted that “mistakes were made,” including failing to get medical assistance for Gray in a timely fashion.
During a press conference on April 24, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts observed that Gray was not belted into a seat in the back of the police van as he was being taken to the police station. Additionally, Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis admitted that Gray should have received medical attention at the scene of his arrest before being placed inside the van.
It has since come to light that police made up to three stops with Gray in the back of the police van before arriving at the police station.
The van first stopped to place Gray in leg restraints. Another stop was made “to deal with Mr. Gray, and the facts of that interaction are under investigation,” Davis said.. A third stop was made to pick up a second prisoner.
It was only after arriving at the Western District police station that authorities called for medical assistance on behalf of Gray, who would later die as a result of a severed spine.
Gray family attorney Jason Downs says the Baltimore PD’s admission is a good first step, but there is a lot more that needs to be explained.
“It’s certainly a step toward acknowledging the truth that the police did not follow their own internal regulations,” Downs stated on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.” “What it does not get at is … the core of this case, and that is: Why did Mr. Gray need medical attention in the first place? … That’s the question that still has not been answered.”
