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News Wrap: Gray Officers Will Have Separate Trials; Activist Arrested Outside of Courthouse

Batlimore Police arrested Kwame Rose yesterday outside of the Circuit Courthouse where the Freddie Gray hearings were beginning.
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Batlimore Police arrested Kwame Rose yesterday outside of the Circuit Courthouse where the Freddie Gray hearings were beginning.

During the motions hearing yesterday, Judge Barry Williams said that the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray will have separate trials. Williams also refused to toss out the charges against the officers, and denied a motion to remove State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's entire office from the case. Next week, Williams will decide whether the trials will be moved out of Baltimore. 

According to the Baltimore Sun, Williams chose to try the officers separately because key evidence that’s admissible to one officer may be inadmissible for another. Each officer played a different role in Gray’s arrest and transport, and thus alleged offenses range from murder to misconduct.

The Sun also reports that Williams cautioned both sides of the case to tone down their rhetoric. 

"The unnecessary name calling and over-the-top rhetoric to which this court has been required to wade in order to get to the heart of the legal issues in this case is remarkable," Williams said, adding that attorneys should be crafting arguments that will "assist the court in understanding the legal issues — not to get the best media sound bites."

To learn more of the details of Wednesday’s hearing, read the full article at the Baltimore Sun 

The Sun is also providing social media updates

Activist Arrested During  Gray Protest 

Twenty-one year old Kwame Rose faces charges for blocking traffic during yesterday's protests outside of the courthouse where the first Freddie Gray hearing was taking place. 

Baltimore Police say Rose claimed he had been hit by a car and was hurt as officers placed him in handcuffs.  He's charged with assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct and making a false statement. One officer suffered minor injuries during the arrest.  

Watch a video of the arrest here.

“The police were particularly aggressive this morning, in sharp contrast to the way protests as recently as the one held on Aug. 8 by the PPA were handled by police,” Brandon Soderbergh of City Paper wrote in an article yesterday. “City Paper spoke to at least four people who were struck or shoved by police, and one officer in particular was pointed out by numerous protesters for being particularly aggressive.”

Kwame Rose is an activist and hip hop artist. Around 8 am this morning, he tweeted: “As of 5:45 am, I have been released on Bail. I really appreciate the love, support, and truth and UNITY. that everyone displayed.” Rose also set up a gofundme campaign to aid with his bond and potential legal fees, with a goal of $10K. 

Batts Speaks At Racial Unrest Panel 

Former Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, who lost his job in July due to the major uptick in violent crime following Freddie Gray’s death, spoke yesterday on a panel at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg about the city’s racial unrest. 

“We get excellent in every category by every metric that you can imagine with an exception of one: public trust,” Batts told the panel. “And public trust in Baltimore was an issue the day that I walked in. Public trust in Baltimore I would say was an issue ten years before that.”

The panel covered topics such as inequality in the justice system and suspects dying in police custody.

Three People Shot In Baltimore Yesterday 

Three people are injured following two shootings in Baltimore on Wednesday.  Police first found a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old with gunshot wounds to the lower body around 4:15 in the 3300 block of West Lexington Street in the Allendale neighborhood.  Officers in Baltimore City then responded to Mannasota Avenue near Saint Thomas Avenue around 6:45 p.m. to find a 20-year-old man who had also been shot in the lower body.  Police have not identified any suspects or motives in either shooting, and anyone with information is urged to call the Baltimore Police Department or Metro Crime Stoppers (410-396-2411). 

O's Clip Rays In 11; Avoid Sweep 

Chris Davis launched a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the eleventh inning to lift the Orioles past the Rays, 7-6, at Camden Yards.  Jonathan Schoop smacked a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth for the O's, who avoided a three-game sweep and snapped a six-game losing streak.  Davis also had a two-run blast during a four-run third inning.  Brad Brach picked up the win.  

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