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Freddie Gray Death Investigation Concludes

by Melissah Yang

A day before ahead of schedule, Baltimore police on Thursday concluded their investigation into Freddie Gray's death and handed over their findings to prosecutors. Baltimore officials are currently withholding their report on how the 25-year-old sustained fatal spinal injuries while in police custody from the public, but they shared their general findings with press, including a previously unknown detail: The police van that transported Gray after his arrest made an additional stop on its way to the station.

The previously undisclosed stop was discovered by "a privately owned camera," Kevin Davis, deputy police commissioner, said during a press conference. The shop's owner, Jung Hyun Hwang, told the Associated Press that officers visited last week to make a copy of the recording. Hwang said he never saw the recording, which then became lost after his shop was looted during Monday's riots.

The New York Times reported that Davis' statement appeared to suggest none of the six officers involved in Gray's arrest told investigators about the stop. The officers have been suspended since last Tuesday. When asked if the officers had lied to cover something up, police department spokesman Capt. J. Eric Kowalczyk told reporters, "It would be inappropriate for us to further comment."

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Local ABC affiliate WJLA also reported Wednesday Baltimore police's investigation found no evidence Gray's fatal injuries occurred during his arrest before he entered the police van. Gray's interaction with officers was caught on video by a cell phone camera. Citing multiple law enforcement sources, WJLA said the medical examiner determined Gray's injury was caused when he slammed into the back of the police van, which then reportedly broke his neck. WJLA reported Gray's head injury matched a bolt found in the vehicle. What caused Gray to slam into the back of the van was still unknown, according to the law enforcement sources.

With the initial police investigation concluded, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby will now decide whether she will pursue a grand jury indictment of any of the six officers involved in Gray's arrest. Mosby is the youngest top prosecutor in any major U.S. city and has been in her current post for less than 100 days. Criminal charges could take months. The U.S. Department of Justice is also conducting its own probe into Gray's death.

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