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Justice Department Won't Charge Officers In Freddie Gray's Death

The six officers faced state-level charges in the case; three were acquitted, and charges against the other three were dropped.

Justice Department Won't Charge Officers In Freddie Gray's Death
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The Department of Justice announced it will not file charges against the six Baltimore police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. 

Gray died back in 2015 due to a broken neck after he was placed in a police wagon with his hands and feet bound. Gray rode to central booking in the back of the wagon without a seatbelt.

The officers involved faced state-level charges; three were acquitted, and the charges against the other three were dropped.

In April of this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for a delay to an overhaul of the Baltimore Police Department prompted by Gray's death. Before that, Sessions reversed an Obama-era policy on investigating civil rights violations, excessive force and racial discrimination.

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The DOJ's statement points out that in order to charge the officers, it would have to prove they acted intentionally and willingly. It reads: "It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident, or even exercised bad judgement."

Five of the six officers still face internal disciplinary hearings; those are set to start in late October.