A Baltimore police officer involved with the arrest of Freddie Gray says the 25-year-old requested to be taken to the hospital twice during his transport after being forcefully arrested for allegedly carrying an illegal switchblade.
According to NBC News, Officer William Porter recently testified during a hearing for the driver of the van carrying Gray that Gray was “kneeling on his knees and facing the driver’s compartment” at some point during the second of the six stops total made by the van following his arrest. Porter went on to say that he heard Gray ask him for help up onto the wagon’s bench once at the fourth stop, at which time Porter says Gray also requested to be taken to the hospital to receive medical attention.
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The officer also testified that he “said we should take him to the hospital because he’s not going to pass central booking,” but later admitted that he didn’t request a medic because he didn’t believe Gray needed immediate medical attention by the time the van neared the sixth and final stop. He described Gray’s demeanor towards the end of the transport as “calm” and “lethargic.” Gray was eventually taken to a nearby trauma center, where he died a week later from spinal cord injuries sustained during the arrest.
Officer Porter’s own case was declared a mistrial back in December of 2015. He is set to stand trial again this September.
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