On Monday, May 23 Judge Barry Williams found Baltimore police officer Edward Nero not guilty. Officer Nero was involved in the Freddie Gray case and was being charged for  second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office.

“I think that it was the right decision,” Cam Day ’18 said in regards to the court’s final verdict.

Freddie Gray, a 25 year old African-American man, was arrested on April 12, 2015 for possessing what the police called an illegal switchblade. Gray fell into a coma while being transported in a police van and was immediately taken to a nearby trauma center. A week later, on April 19, 2015, Freddie Gray was pronounced dead primarily due to injuries to his spinal cord.

The prosecution argued that Nero committed an act of assault by detaining Gray without justification. The charge of reckless endangerment pertained to Nero putting Gray into the police car and not buckling Gray’s seatbelt.

“Freddie Gray’s horrific story is just another example of the mistreatment of African-Americans in this country,” Liza Barlow ’16 said.

Many people across the country have speculated that the police officers in the car were responsible for the injuries with which Gray suffered while being transported that ultimately caused his demise.

“A primary issue within our country today is police brutality against African-Americans,” said Steven Frost ’18.

The driver of the van used to transport Gray, Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., is scheduled for a trial date on June 6.