Caesar Goodson, the Baltimore police officer who was tried for several charges including depraved-heart murder and manslaughter in the death of Freddie Gray, was found not guilty on all charges Thursday morning, according to the Baltimore Sun. Circuit Judge Barry Williams delivered the verdict after final arguments for the non-jury trial were made last week.
Goodson, 46, is one of six officers who faced charges in the death of Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who died after sustaining injuries to the spine and head while in police custody last April. Goodson was the officer driving the vehicle where Gray was injured and faced the most serious charges of all the officers who were implicated, the Baltimore Sun reports.
ABC News reports that in his decision, Williams said:
The state failed to prove the defendant knew or should have known that Mr. Gray needed medical care.
Protesters had been gathering outside of the courthouse in Baltimore in anticipation of Williams' verdict chanting "Justice for Freddie Gray."
#FreddieGray began trending on Twitter almost immediately after news of the not guilty verdict for Goodson broke, with many expressing outrage over Williams' decision not to convict.
The NAACP also sent out a tweet commenting on the verdict,
