Washington – A police officer in Baltimore, Maryland, went on trial on Thursday over the death of an African-American man who suffered severe spinal injury while in police custody.
Caesar Goodson, who drove the police van in which Freddie Gray was injured, faces the most serious charge in a case that sparked days of rioting in the East Coast port city.
Goodson was charged with second-degree murder and other counts.
Gray, 25, died in April 2015 after suffering a fatal injury while in the back of a police wagon.
He was handcuffed and shackled but not secured by a seatbelt as required under police department policy.
Gray’s death was one of the most prominent cases in a string of deaths of black men in police interactions that exposed racial tensions and poor relations between the police and the African-American community.
The trial of another Baltimore police officer late last year in connection with Gray’s case, ended with the jury unable to reach unanimous decision.
Another officer facing only misdemeanor charges was found not guilty on May 23 in a bench trial.
Goodson, 46, this week waived his right to a jury, leaving the judge to reach an eventual verdict.
Gray suffered severe neck injury after his arrest on April 12, 2015, apparently while being transported in the back of a police van.
He fell into coma and died one week later.
Gray was taken into custody for carrying illegal switchblade knife.
The case drew attention to the practice by Baltimore police of so-called rough rides, in which officers allegedly purposefully drove recklessly to punish the suspects being driven in police vans.
In opening statements, a prosecutor said that the defenseless Gray was injured because he got a rough ride. (dpa/NAN)