Jury Begins Deliberation in Freddie Gray Trial for Officer William Porter

On Monday, a jury began deliberating the fate of William Porter, one of the Baltimore police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray last April.

Porter is accused of manslaughter and assault and is the first of six cops to head to trial over Gray’s death. During closing arguments, the prosecution pointed out that all Porter and his colleagues had to do was buckle Gray’s seat belt to save his life, according to The Baltimore Sun. Instead, no one did.

“They said Porter showed callous indifference when he failed to seatbelt Gray in a van, or call a medic when Gray said he wanted one. Criticizing a key defense argument, prosecutors said the fact officers often do not seat belt detainees is no excuse.”

The defense argued that position wasn’t enough to convict Porter. Attorney Joe Murtha called the state medical examiner “unreliable,” NPR notes, saying the autopsy “does not explain… what happened to Gray.”

As the jury departed, Baltimore’s police department has suspended holiday leave “out of an abundance of caution” aka in case there are more protests due to the jury’s decision.