Officer Edward Nero, one of six officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, was found not guilty of all charges on Monday. As part of his verdict, Judge Barry Williams said there were no credible facts to show Nero was directly involved in Gray's arrest and his role in putting Gray in the van was reasonable given his training.

Advertisement Baltimore police Officer Edward Nero found not guilty on all charges Officer trial raises questions about policing in Baltimore Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Baltimore judge has found a Baltimore police officer not guilty on all charges in connection to the death of Freddie Gray.Assault: Not GuiltyReckless Endangerment: Not GuiltyMisconduct in Office: Not GuiltyBaltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams revealed his verdict in the case against Officer Edward Nero shortly after court began at 10:30 a.m. on Monday.Tap here to read the transcript of the verdict (PDF)Complete coverage: Updates | Special section | Timeline | Officers charged | Charging documents | Who's whoNero, 30, was one of the bike officers who were on patrol and were involved in the initial arrest of Gray on April 12, 2015. Gray suffered a fatal neck injury at some point after being placed in a police transport van that day. Gray died on April 19, 2015 and anger over his death helped spark last year's riots.Nero opted for a bench trial over a jury trial."Officer Edward Nero, his wife and family are elated that this nightmare is finally over," Nero attorney Marc Zayon said in a statement. "The State’s Attorney for Baltimore City rushed to charge him, as well as the other five officers, completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law."Officer Nero is appreciative of the reasoned judgment that Judge Barry Williams applied in his ruling. His hope is that the State’s Attorney will reevaluate the remaining five officers' cases and dismiss their charges. Like Officer Nero, these officers have done nothing wrong. Officer Nero remains a proud member of the Baltimore Police Department and looks forward to serving the City and the people of Baltimore."The verdict brought relief to Nero and his family. Nero's father, Ed Nero Sr., said the verdict has lifted a tremendous weight off his son's shoulders."When the information came out that he virtually barely touched Mr. Gray then everybody changed their attitude and that's maybe a good thing," Nero Sr. said. "But it's unfortunate that people judged him in that way without knowing the information correctly."Billy Murphy, the attorney for Gray's family, accepted the verdict."His decision as being the only one in the position to do what he did to analyze the facts this passionately and apply the law objectively his decision should be respected," Murphy said.Reaction to Nero's verdict came in quickly after it was announced."I'm sure somebody is going to ask the judge to recuse himself because he sat in judgment of the facts surrounding a case similar. It's pretty much the same facts for each officer," Baltimore City Delegate Curt Anderson said. "However, a judge is a judge because he understands how to separate the facts."He understands that certain facts they're not in evidence in one trial can't be admitted in another trial so I don't think the judge would recuse himself. It's up to the defense to decide whether or not they pick the judge or the jury."Prosecutors argued during Nero's six-day trial that Nero, a former volunteer EMT and firefighter who has been with the Baltimore Police Department since 2012, committed a crime when he, along with Officer Garrett Miller and Lt. Brian Rice arrested and handcuffed Gray without probable cause after Gray ran unprovoked from police."Our American criminal justice system has spoken today. Respect and reverence for Judge Williams' verdict must now prevail throughout our great City. As the eyes of the nation are upon us, I have no doubt we will all exhibit behaviors that represent the very best of Baltimore," Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.The state added that Nero committed reckless endangerment when he failed to seat belt Gray in the transport van and that placed him in the position that led to his fatal injuries.Zayon argued that the law allows for such a stop in high-crime areas, Nero only touched Gray once and the police transport van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, was ultimately responsible for placing a seat belt on Gray.Also during the trial, Miller testified that he was the one who arrested and handcuffed Gray. Miller, a member of the department since 2012 is also charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in connection to Gray's death.Williams added that it was reasonable for Nero or another officer in a similar position to assume that the transport van driver or a commanding officer on the scene would ensure Gray was properly secured before leaving the scene.Miller was compelled by prosecutors to testify after being given limited-used immunity, meaning his testimony cannot be used against him in his trial.Williams said the testimony of Miller, along with Gray's friend Brandon Ross, showed was not the one that arrested Gray and that "Miller and Miller alone" was the one responsible for stopping, detaining and arresting Gray.Video evidence showed it was Rice who was inside the van during the second stop while Nero only briefly helped place Gray in the van by taking hold of his feet.Not surprised by verdictAttorney Warren Alperstein, who has observed the Nero trial but is not involved in the case, said he is not surprised one bit by the verdict."I felt all along that the stop, detention and arrest of Freddie Gray was legal," Alperstein said.Alperstein said that the testimony of Miller and Ross also meant Williams never had to rule on the legality of Gray's arrest."(Ross and Miller's testimony) gave the judge an out," Alperstein said. "Because both testified Nero was not involved in the actual arrest of Gray, the state never proved an assault took place in the first place."Attorney Warren Brown, who also observed the trial, but was not involved in the case, agrees."I thought the case against Edward Nero was political persecution," Brown said. "The thought all along in these cases was to charge the officers and then walk the cases back. "The state's own witnesses testified Nero wasn't involved in Freddie Gray's arrest. Now they have to question whether they should have called them to testify to begin with."Nero is the first officer to have a verdict among those charged in Gray's death. Officer William Porter's trial on manslaughter and related charges ended in a mistrial in December.Porter may also be compelled to testify in some of the other officers' trials after also being granted limited-use immunity. Goodson is the next officer to go on trial, with his case set to be heard beginning June 6. Rice's trial is expected after that beginning on July 5, followed by Miller (July 27), Porter (Sept. 6) and Sgt. Alicia White (Oct. 13).Baltimore police said they canceled all leave on Monday and are prepared for any protests that may occur after the verdict is revealed.Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake tweeted Monday that the city is prepared regardless of the decision and she is asking everyone to respect the process and judge's decision.Officials, community respond to verdictBaltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis released a statement Monday afternoon on the verdict."Our American criminal justice system has spoken today. Respect and reverence for Judge Williams' verdict must now prevail throughout our great city. As the eyes of the nation are upon us, I have no doubt we will all exhibit behaviors that represent the very best of Baltimore."The Baltimore Police Department is committed to a relationship with our community built on trust and respect. We will continue this journey together as we strive for safer neighborhoods and policing practices consistent with the expectations of our residents."So many Baltimoreans have worked hard over the last year to ensure our diverse opinions and perspectives can exist in spaces that are constructive and serve to compel progress. We all have roles to play, and I look forward to continued progress."Although Nero was found not guilty, his status with the Baltimore Police Department has not changed, spokesman T.J. Smith said in a statement Monday."Although the criminal case against Officer Edward Nero has come to a close, the internal investigation has not. With that, Officer Nero's status will remain unchanged. He will remain in an administrative capacity while this investigation continues."The internal investigation is being handled by other police departments. The internal investigation will not be completed until all of the criminal cases against the other five officers are completed because they will likely be witnesses in each case.""Today Judge Barry G. Williams found Officer Edward Nero not guilty of all criminal charges," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "This is our American system of justice and police officers must be afforded the same justice system as every other citizen in this city, state, and country."Now that the criminal case has come to an end, Officer Nero will face an administrative review by the Police Department. We once again ask the citizens to be patient and to allow the entire process to come to a conclusion. In the case of any disturbance in the city, we are prepared to respond. We will protect our neighborhoods, our businesses and the people of our city," Rawlings-Blake said.Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police President Gene Ryan said in a statement:"Officer Nero is relieved that for him, this nightmare is nearing an end. Being falsely charged with a crime, and being prosecuted for reasons that have nothing to do with justice, is a horror that no person should ever have to endure. Unfortunately, however, his relief is tempered by the fact that five other police officers, outstanding men and women, and good friends, must continue to fight these baseless prosecutions."None of these officers did anything wrong. The State's Attorney's Office responded to the riots and violence in Baltimore by rushing to charge these officers rashly and without any meaningful investigation. They seized a political opportunity and, in the process, destroyed six lives and demolished the relationship between the Baltimore Police Department and their own office."Officer Nero prays that justice will serve each of the remaining officers with the same fairness that it served him. He implores State's Attorney (Marilyn) Mosby to refocus her flawed analysis of the facts surrounding Mr. Gray's death and dismiss the remaining charges. These are good police officers and good people. While Mr. Gray's death is no doubt tragic on many levels, maintaining these prosecutions only propels the tragedy to another level."Video: Officer Edward Nero still faces disciplinary reviewAnderson was among those who believes justice was served."I think so. The judge in the case was really good at explaining what it was that caused him to find that the state did not meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to find the officer guilty, so it was a well-reasoned argument and it convinced pretty much, I think, everybody in the courtroom that was listening that, 'Yeah, you're probably right,'" Anderson said.Anderson spearheaded police reform legislation in Annapolis."I think that's the most important thing we did in terms of legislation this year was opening this thing up to the public so that the public understands when a police officer is disciplined how he's disciplined and they can actually see it themselves it's no longer a secret," Anderson said.Meanwhile, several protesters were hoping the outcome would be different."It's unbelievable. I'm frustrated ...," protester Arthur Johnson said. "This country is supposed to be about liberty and justice for all, but when will that be the case for Freddie Gray.""Like many Baltimore residents, I was personally struck by Mr. Freddie Gray's death, and I know that we will all continue to struggle with the strong emotions it invokes in us," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland.Tessa Hill-Astin, the president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP was also disappointed in the verdict."I'm not satisfied with the verdict, but I have to accept it," Hill-Astin said. "We wanted to see more justice for Freddie Gray."(Nero) got off because he proved he wasn't properly trained. What does that mean for the commanding officers charged in the case? There will be five more trials and five more opportunities to get justice for Freddie Gray."Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland, who seemed to share protesters' sentiments, released the following statement Monday morning:"Every American has the right to a trial decided by a jury of their peers or a trial decided by a judge. Mr. Edward Nero chose to forgo a jury and exercised his right to have Judge Barry G. Williams decide his case. Today, Judge Williams -- after hearing the evidence presented by the prosecution and Mr. Nero's defense attorneys -- issued a not guilty verdict in this trial; I thank him for his service."Like many Baltimore residents, I was personally struck by Mr. Freddie Gray's death, and I know that we will all continue to struggle with the strong emotions it invokes in us."Following Mr. Gray's death, the citizens of Baltimore demanded justice, and it is clear that the wheels of justice are turning. I commend the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office for its efforts to pursue justice, and I thank everyone who has worked on Mr. Nero's trial."Justice has always relied on trust in the judicial process, and that is what I call on all of Baltimore’s residents to do because there will be more trials in the death of Mr. Freddie Gray. We cannot control the outcome of any of these trials, but what we can control is our work to continue healing our community."With eyes toward the future, we must continue working to reform our criminal justice system -- in Maryland and nationwide -- and we must continue to invest in our young people. Baltimore is a city on the rise, but the question is: will we all rise together?"I believe that we are on the road to creating a city that uplifts all of its residents. Today’s verdict should not take us off course, instead, it should remind us of the importance of the road ahead."WBAL-TV 11 News reporters David Collins, Barry Simms, Vanessa Herring and WBALTV.com editor Saliqa Khan contributed to this story.Get the WBAL-TV News App