BALTIMORE – Baltimore police say nearly 100 officers have been hurt since violence broke out in the city on Monday.
Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said more than 40 officers required some sort of treatment at the hospital. Protesters have been throwing bricks, bottles and other items at officers trying to contain demonstrations.
People in the city are upset over the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered critical injuries while he was in police custody.
Police say nearly a dozen people were arrested last night after curfew.
The mayor of Baltimore said in an emotional speech that the city will get justice for Gray.
“If, with the nation watching, three black women at three different levels can’t get justice and healing for this community, you tell me where we’re going to get it in our country,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Thursday, referring to herself, the prosecutor investigating the case and newly sworn in Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Lynch oversees the Justice Department, which is also investigating Gray’s death.
The mayor says she tried to reform the police department even before Gray’s death and the agency has made improvements, lowering the number of police shootings and excessive force complaints.
The prosecutor who is handling the case of Freddie Gray is asking the public to remain patient and peaceful as she conducts an investigation.
State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement Thursday that she has received the investigative file from police, and her office has also been conducting its own independent investigation.
Mosby will decide whether any charges are warranted for six officers who were involved in the arrest and transport of Gray. The officers have been suspended with pay.
The prosecutor has not given a timeline for when she will decide on whether to charge the six officers who have been suspended during the investigation of Gray’s death.
Gray was arrested April 12 after he made eye contact with officers and ran. After a chase, officers pinned him down and handcuffed him. They loaded him into a van and put leg cuffs on him when officers said he became “irate” in the wagon. He suffered a mysterious spinal injury while he was in the custody of officers.
Police said Thursday they discovered a new stop the van made with Gray in it, but they did not say what happened.
Gray was eventually taken to a hospital. He died a week later.
Earlier Thursday, the first account was given from a prisoner who was sharing the police transport van with Gray.
The Washington Post obtained a police document that had information about what the prisoner told investigators. According to that document the prisoner said he could hear Gray banging the walls of the vehicle and that he believe he, “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”
The prisoner was separated by a metal partition so he could only hear Gray and not see him.
A second narrative came from a woman related to a police officer involved in the arrest.
CNN interviewed the woman who chose not to be identified.
She told CNN the officer told her he believes Gray was injured outside the police car during the arrest.
She also gave an explanation as to why he was not buckled into the police van. She said Gray was too belligerent and since it is tight quarters officers didn’t want to reach over him because he was already irate.
