September 8, 2015
$6.4 Million: Baltimore Reaches Settlement with Freddie Gray Family
According to reports, the family of Freddie Gray, a man who died while in Baltimore police custody in April, could get $6.4 million in a tentative death settlement.
Baltimore officials have agreed to the settlement, however, the deal must still be approved by the city’s Board of Estimates, which oversees the city’s spending.
That group is expected to meet Wednesday to evaluate.
The deal comes as judicial hearings are beginning in the cases of the six officers facing criminal charges in Gray’s death.
Last week, Judge Barry G. Williams of the Baltimore City Circuit Court ruled that each would be tried separately and defense lawyers are hoping to hold the trials outside of Baltimore, a decision Judge Williams will also be determining.
“The proposed settlement agreement going before the Board of Estimates should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial,†Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters. The amount will be paid as $2.8 million in the current fiscal year and $3.6 million in 2016 beginning in July.
Gray was arrested April 12 and died days later from a neck injury that occurred while he was being driven in a police van. Authorities said Gray was handcuffed and unbelted.
His death sparked outrage and protest in Baltimore and nationwide, leading to citywide curfews and heightened security. He is among a series of recent deaths of black men involving law enforcement, including that of Eric Garner, a Staten Island, New York, man who died after being held in a chokehold by a police officer. Garner’s family was also awarded a settlement by New York City officials for $5.9 million in July.