A Baltimore officer was acquitted of assault and other charges Monday in the arrest of Freddie Gray, dealing prosecutors a second straight blow in their bid to hold police accountable for the black man’s death from spinal injuries suffered in the back of a police van.
The judge who decided Officer Edward Nero’s fate in the non-jury trial concluded Nero played little role in the arrest and wasn’t responsible for the failure by police to buckle Gray in during the jolting ride.
Upon hearing the verdict, Nero hugged his attorney and appeared to wipe away a tear.
Nero, who is white, was the second of six officers charged in the racially combustible case to stand trial. The manslaughter case against Officer William Porter ended in a mistrial in December when the jury deadlocked. Prosecutors plan to retry him at some point.
The next case to go to trial is that of the van driver, who faces the most serious charge of all, second-degree murder. His case is set for June 6.