After three days of deliberation, the jury in the trial of one of the police officers implicated in the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.
No verdict was returned for Baltimore Police Officer William G. Porter, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second degree assault, misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment relating to Gray's death. Porter is one of six officers facing criminal charges relating to fatal injuries that Gray, 25, suffered last April while in police custody.
In this case, a mistrial means that Porter has been found neither guilty nor innocent, but his original indictment still stands and prosecutors can choose to try him again with a new jury. The Baltimore Sun reports lawyers from both the prosecution and defense will meet Thursday to pick a retrial date.
Police arrested Gray on charges of having an illegal switchblade April 12, but while being transported in a police van, he sustained injuries that caused him to fall into a coma. He died April 19 as a result of injuries to his spinal cord.
The officers originally were going to be grouped together in two trials, but defense attorneys' successfully appealed to have the group split into six separate trials. The judge agreed with the defense's argument that separating the group would be less prejudicial and prevent problems with not all evidence being admissible for all the defendants.
Gray's injury and death led to an outcry, both in Baltimore and across the nation, from the public over the treatment of black suspects by police.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake released a statement asking for protests in the wake of the mistrial ruling to be peaceful.
"In the coming days, if some choose to demonstrate peacefully to express their opinion, that is their constitutional right," she said. "I urge everyone to remember that collectively, our reaction needs to be one of respect for our neighborhoods, and for the residents and businesses of our city."
This story is developing and will be updated as new information becomes available.