A Baltimore judge found Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero not guilty of all charges stemming from the April, 2015 death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray.
Nero, 30, had been charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office.
Gray, 25, suffered severe spinal cord injuries after he was put into the back of a Baltimore police van and died from his injuries. His death sparked protests and rioting in Baltimore and has served as a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Shortly after Gray’s death, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six officers, three white and three black, on charges ranging from misconduct to second-degree murder. Nero was the second officer to face trial and pleaded not guilty. In December, Officer William G. Porter’s trial ended with a hung jury, after which they judge declared a mistrial.
Nero is suspended with pay from the police force, The Baltimore Sun reports.
During the trial, which lasted six days, prosecutors alleged that Gray’s arrest was tantamount to an assault because it was an improper, the Sun reports. Nero’s attorneys argued that the arrest was justified. They said it was the driver’s responsibility to buckle detainees into the van and that Nero hardly touched Gray.
Nero’s partner, Officer Garrett Miller, said that he had arrested Gray and not Nero, Reuters reports.
Originally published on People.com