The charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of city resident Freddie Gray remain unchanged after a judge dismissed a motion to drop charges on Wednesday during a pretrial hearing.
Judge Barry Williams also said Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby will remain on the case despite a motion filed by the defense saying that her involvement was a conflict of interest. Mosby announced the charges on May 1 in a statement that led to brief celebrations around much of Baltimore.
All six officers will also be tried separately after Williams denied a defense motion to try all six officers at the same time.
Williams was reportedly tough on both the prosecution and the defense, though he ultimately dismissed the defense's requests.
At the conclusion of his remarks, he told attorneys to stop seeking media sound bites and making unsupported claims— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) September 2, 2015
Williams said Mosby's press conference remarks were "troubling" but didn't rob officers of right to fair trial— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) September 2, 2015
Williams also said defense claims of conflicts of interests "didn't come close" to meriting removal— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) September 2, 2015
Protesters against police brutality demonstrated around different parts of the city Wednesday morning. Police made one arrest--prominent Baltimore activist Kwame Rose--while trying to move protesters out of the street. People at the site of the arrest took to Twitter to say Rose had been clipped by a car before he was arrested, which is why he had trouble moving. Rose can be heard saying as much in this short video, below.
#WJZ NOW: #FreddieGray @cbsbaltimore pic.twitter.com/x1pyZXXs2l— Marcus Washington (@WJZMarcus) September 2, 2015
The charges against the officers stem from the April police-custody death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black Baltimore resident. He was arrested after fleeing officers upon making eye contact with them and was then dragged inside a police van, where he suffered a fatal spinal injury.
The six officers have been charged with various crimes, and one has been charged with second-degree depraved heart murder.
Next week, the defense will try to convince the judge that the trial should be moved out of Baltimore. The defense team says it feels officers can't get a fair trial in the city.