The first trial in the police-custody death of a black Baltimore resident named Freddie Gray ended in a mistrial on Wednesday.
The 12-person jury remained deadlocked over whether officer William Porter willfully contributed to the death of Gray, who died in April a week after he suffered blunt trauma to his spine in the back of a police van, following an arrest.
Porter had been in the van and checked on Gray as he and another officer drove from the site of Gray's arrest to the Western District police station.
"You have taken your time" and "clearly been diligent," Williams says to jury, before dismissing them as hung.— Kevin Rector (@RectorSun) December 16, 2015
Porter was charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
The officer is the first of six to face charges in Gray's death. His trial was considered to be a barometer for how the other five trials will go.
Porter had a muted reaction through it all. On his way out of court, he nodded to his mother and they were escorted out by deputies.— Joel D. Anderson (@byjoelanderson) December 16, 2015
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a statement following the announcement, saying "we must respect the outcome of the judicial process."
Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, issued this statement in response to the mistrial. #PorterTrial pic.twitter.com/8kgX943eg8— Jamal Andress (@JamalAndress) December 16, 2015
Gray's death set off weeks of protests throughout Baltimore that occasionally turned violent as tensions between the city's police and black residents went from bad to worse.
The nation's focus on Baltimore culminated on May 1, when Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against the six officers. She charged four of them with manslaughter, and one with second-degree murder.
Activists have frequently demonstrated against police brutality outside the trial's courthouse in downtown Baltimore, and those protests continued on Wednesday.
Scene outside the courthouse right now pic.twitter.com/IHA6b8s8Od— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) December 16, 2015
Sheriff's deputy tells protesters to leave front of courthouse pic.twitter.com/jGUnf3LduD— Scott Calvert (@scottmcalvert) December 16, 2015
Video: Baltimore sheriff's deputies lead protester @kwamerose away in cuffs pic.twitter.com/LqQWPciK2n— Ian Duncan (@iduncan) December 16, 2015
Court officials are likely to set a new court date on Thursday, though it's unclear whether the mistrial will change the court dates for the other five officers.