In a pivotal day in the manslaughter trial of one of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the defendant himself took the stand for more than four hours to try to convince jurors he is a reasonable and responsible police officer who didn’t do anything wrong on the day Gray was gravely injured.
William Porter’s trial is the first in the most high-profile and high-stakes in-custody death case in the city’s recent history, and whether jurors believe his testimony will likely be the deciding factor in determining the verdict. With no eyewitnesses and no unequivocal evidence as to how and when Gray suffered the spinal injury that killed him, the trial could come down to Porter’s word against prosecutor’s assertion that he “callously” disregarded Gray’s request for medical aid, and intentionally left him unrestrained and vulnerable to injury in the back of the transport van.
Porter was poised and calm as he testified in his own defense Wednesday, telling jurors he didn’t call an ambulance for Gray because Gray was alert, appeared uninjured and didn’t complain of any pain or wounds.
Instead, Gray only said “yes” when Porter offered to get him medical aid, the officer testified. Porter said he suggested to the van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, that Goodson take Gray to the hospital because he knew a prisoner claiming injury would be turned away from jail.
But “I can’t tell Officer Goodson what to do,” Porter said when asked why he didn’t do more to ensure Gray went to the hospital immediately.
Porter, who was driving a patrol car, responded to calls for assistance at some of the van stops. Porter said that during the fourth stop, he went inside the back of the van and helped Gray, who was handcuffed and shackled, from the floor onto the bench. Porter said Gray wasn’t limp, and was able to support himself with his legs.
The fourth stop is crucial in Porter’s case because prosecutors say Gray was already injured by the time he arrived there and that Porter’s failure to call a medic contributed to Gray’s death. Defense attorneys say Gray was injured later in the ride.
“Freddie Gray wasn’t injured at stop four or five, it’s that simple,” Porter said. “Had he been injured, I would have called a medic.”
Prosecutors also say that by not buckling Gray into a seat belt during that stop, Porter was criminally negligent. The department requires detainees to be buckled up and the policy was updated just days before Gray’s arrest, leaving no ambiguity about whether a prisoner should be belted in.
Porter told the jury the wagon is “pretty tight” and said that of his 200 arrests involving the transport van, he has never belted in a prisoner.
Porter added that it would have been Goodson’s responsibility to buckle Gray into a seatbelt and he didn’t know if Goodson did so at the fourth stop because he left the scene before the driver closed the van doors.
Goodson faces the most serious charge stemming from Gray’s death: second-degree “depraved-heart” murder. His trial is next month.
As Porter spoke from the witness stand, facing the jury box, the jurors listened intently, some leaning forward and scribbling notes.
“He never made a complaint of pain or an injury,” Porter said. “In order to call for an ambo I need age, sex, location and complaint of injury. He wouldn’t give me a complaint of injury.”
Porter, who is also black, told jurors that when Gray was arrested, he overheard him screaming and mentioning something about needing an inhaler. When asked if Gray said he couldn’t breathe at the van’s fourth stop, Porter said, “absolutely not.”
Trial resumes Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
there should be NO charges brought for any of the Officers it was established but than never heard of again he just had back surgery several weeks? prior .. and was known to “carryon like a madman” when he was arrestede cumerous other times also a knowen drug dealer and user… his rap sheet is impressive!!!! This D.a should be fired and never hold another job with in the Justic Dept. anywhere. she is the one that should be on trial…. When are we going to stop coodling those black thugs??? g
ee deport them for all Icare right back to Africa. M.sullivan
Sorry, Martha, in some shocking turn of events, Fox News provided you with false information that was never vetted before it was put on air.
Clearly you are an upstanding, racist piece of crap. Crawl back under your rock!
There you have it, every time someone says anything against what a black thug says, they are racist! That is the problem, there is no global race card! Time for the truth for a change! Thugs want to rule, and it isn’t going to happen!
The only racist piece of crap on this post is you. His criminal background was a matter of public record. The surgery from an insurance scam gone bad was widely known and reported before Fox news.
Really Johnny Appleseed…… Who’s the piece of crap? This has nothing to do with Fox news, the coroner’s report was withheld by that stupid ass, inexperienced prosecutor who had the cops tried and fried before any reports, bated the blacks, the Mayor told the THUGS on the street to go ahead and get it out of their system and loot, burn and riot, when the report was “leaked”… it stated that it was not a homicide that was caused by the joy ride in the paddy wagon. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. Mr. BLM sympathizer.
Sorry John boy, you can put your race card right back where the sun don’t shine (where most liberal Johnny Jump ups keep it).
I feel the same way ship them back to Africa to a pride of waiting lions !!
Why did the police have to basically carry him to the van? He may have been injured before the police first arrested him when he tried to avoid them.
he was resisting arrest and refusing to walk that’s why
It’s a sad fact that police will never get a fair trial anywhere in today’s world simply because it isn’t “politically correct” .and the heads making the decisions consider how they will be ‘looked ‘ at after they make decisions public –..my feelings are that it’s a sad day when they are arrested …soo sad …….we need them even more now than we ever have in the past… we can find a ‘bad’ one in every profession in the Country now and then – however, today’s climate is definitely one-sided and it’s definitely not on the side of “Right” ………….and that starts from the ‘top’ down ……… God Bless America
I feel that all caring Americans should buy a gun or guns and get training in using them. Sadly, I foresee millions of our nations finest police officers leaving their chosen profession in the future since the liberal/socialist elements in our society have hatched their plan to sacrifice those fine men’s lives and futures in furthering their “fundamental change” of America. We must now be ready to be our own first line of defense against the entitlement thugs those same elements have planted and nurtured.
I support the police 100% if you do what the police tell you to do there would be no problem !! when you fail to obey the police you are creating problems for yourself !!
Agreed
Glenn C, You either are a cop, cop wannabe, or have one in the family, … to think so shallowly. AKA:Cops are always right & never do nothing wrong OMG, LOL!!!