Police Brutality / Individual record
Freddie Gray
Freddie Gray died one week after suffering a severe spinal injury while in Baltimore police custody.
- Record ID
- PB-158
- Date of death
- April 19, 2015
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
- Agency
- Baltimore Police Department
- Category
- Death after arrest / police transport
What happened
Baltimore police arrested 25-year-old Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015. He suffered a catastrophic spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in police custody and died on April 19. His death brought national scrutiny to the arrest, the transport in a police van, officers' handling of his need for medical attention, and department practices. Maryland's medical examiner classified the death as a homicide, a medical determination that does not itself decide criminal guilt. State prosecutors charged six officers; one trial ended in a hung jury, three officers were acquitted, and the remaining cases were dismissed in 2016. After reviewing video, witness testimony, medical evidence and trial records, the Justice Department announced in September 2017 that it would not pursue federal civil-rights charges because it could not establish the required criminal elements beyond a reasonable doubt.
Investigation & findings
Prosecutions of officers did not yield criminal convictions.
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology