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           US Judge Rejects Dismissal of Charges in Freddie Gray Case

   by VOA News

   A judge in the eastern U.S. city of Baltimore has rejected a defense
   motion to dismiss charges against six police officers in the death of
   Freddie Gray - the 25-year-old African-American man who died from a
   spine injury he suffered while in police custody.

   The charges include second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and
   manslaughter. One of the six - the driver of the police van in which
   Gray sustained his injuries - faces an additional charge of
   second-degree murder.

   All have entered pleas of 'not guilty.'

   Though half of the officers charged are black, the case became a symbol
   of what protesters say is police brutality against African-Americans.

   The judge also dismissed a defense motion to remove State Attorney
   Marilyn Mosby and other prosecutors from the case.

   ''The defense argues that Mosby violated her obligation to ensure a
   fair trial by holding a highly-publicized open air news conference
   announcing the charges May 1.

   Dozens of protesters marched peacefully through downtown Baltimore
   Wednesday with signs calling for justice for Freddie Gray.
   Demonstrations were held at police headquarters and outside of the
   courthouse where the hearing was taking place.

   Gray was arrested April 12. He died in a hospital a week later of the
   spinal cord injury. Prosecutors say Gray was unlawfully detained, and
   have disputed police accounts about a knife he was alleged to have been
   carrying.

   His death brought to a boil long-simmering tensions between Baltimore
   police and poor neighborhoods in the largely black city - culminating
   in rioting and looting that left hundreds of businesses damaged and
   resulted in a since lifted city-wide curfew.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-judge-dismissal-charges-freddie-gr
   ay-baltimore/2942477.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-judge-dismissal-charges-freddie-gray-baltimore/2942477.html