Police in Baltimore threaten to sue state’s attorney, mayor

The Baltimore police officers charged with the murder of African-American Freddie Gray have threatened to sue the city’s top prosecutor and the mayor.

This was announced on Friday by the lawyers representing the six police officers that were prosecuted over the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who was killed on April 19 shortly after being arrested by officers.

His death triggered massive anti-police brutality protests and riots in not only his home town of Baltimore but across the US and further shed light on the subject of police in America targeting minorities, specifically blacks.

Several motions totaling 109 pages by 6 lawyers representing the six officers have been submitted to the Baltimore District Court.

The documents state that the officers may sue state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for arresting and detaining the officers, unless the city compensates them tens of thousands of dollars.

The lawyers including Matthew B. Fraling III, who represents Officer Caesar Goodson; Catherine Flynn, who represents Officer Garrett Miller; Marc L. Zayon, who represents Officer Edward Nero; Joseph Murtha, who represents Officer William Porter; Michael Belsky, who represents Lt. Brian Rice; and Ivan Bates, who represents Sgt. Alicia White filed motions to dismiss the case of the 6 officers allegedly involved in the murder of Freddie Gray.

 “Rarely in the history of any criminal case has a prosecutor so directly maintained so many conflicts of interest,” the attorneys claimed.

The lawyers mainly targeted Mosby arguing that she and her husband, also a member of the city council, "seized political and personal gain" by charging the officers in order to soothe citizens and quell unrest.

Mosby has declined to comment on the motion, according to local media. But, the state’s attorney had previously said that she is not looking into handing the case to a special prosecutor.

Mosby announced the criminal charges against the officers on May 1, following a week of protests and riots in Baltimore.

The officers were charged with multiple counts including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

In their filings, the lawyers want Mosby to step aside and have an independent judge appoint an independent prosecutor because according to them, “Mosby made reckless, careless and inaccurate public statements."

The unrest in Baltimore over the death of Gray was the most violent in the United States since the protests in Ferguson following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brown by a white police officer.

The US Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department engaged in the abuse of minorities, following the death of Gray.

HDS/GJH

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