US Justice Department opens civil rights probe of man’s death in Baltimore police custody
BALTIMORE – The U.S. Justice Department says it has opened a federal investigation after an African-American man died of spinal injuries he suffered after an arrest in Baltimore.
Spokeswoman Dena Iverson announced the investigation Tuesday by the department’s Civil Rights Division.
The investigation will look for civil rights violations in the case of Freddie Gray, who was arrested April 12 and placed in a transport van.
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition about 30 minutes later and died Sunday of what police described as a significant spinal injury.
Police have said they’re investigating why Gray was stopped and what led to his injury.
In federal civil rights cases such as this one, investigators look for evidence that an officer willfully violated a person’s civil rights by using unreasonable force.
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