Freddie Gray never made it out of police custody. An encounter with police in his West Baltimore neighborhood ended with the 25-year-old man sustaining a spinal cord injury while in their custody that would lead to his death.
What happened in the week between Gray’s arrest and after his death would become a defining moment for Baltimore — one that exposed the police department’s excessive use of force and helped fuel a national reckoning with race, justice and accountability.
“I make the argument that Freddie Gray’s death, it’s made a lot of difference, made a lot of changes here,” said Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, a professor of communications and African and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland.
Here’s a timeline of Gray’s final moments and the ripple effects that changed Baltimore — and the country — in ways still unfolding today.
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April 12, 2015
Just before 9 a.m., Gray noticed police patrolling the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood where he lived and ran. He was arrested at the corner of Presbury and North Mount streets after police found a knife in his pocket. During the ride in the police van to the station, Gray’s hands and feet were cuffed but he wasn’t seat-belted.
Around 9:30 a.m., Baltimore City Fire Department responded to Gray being unconscious at the police station. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center just before 10 a.m.
April 13, 2015
A day after his arrest, Gray underwent spinal surgery.
April 18, 2015
As frustration mounted in the community after Gray’s hospitalization, protests began.
April 19, 2015
Gray, who was in a coma after he suffered a severe spinal cord injury, died. His death was ruled a homicide.
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April 21, 2015
The six Baltimore Police officers involved in Gray’s arrest were publicly identified: Caesar R. Goodson Jr., William G. Porter, Brian W. Rice, Edward M. Nero, Garrett Miller and Alicia D. White. The department suspended them without pay. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal and civil rights probe.
April 25, 2015
After a week of largely peaceful protest, things turned when protesters began damaging vehicles and businesses. The civil unrest that unfolded in the streets of Baltimore led to a lockdown at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
April 26, 2015
As Gray’s family continued to mourn his death at his wake, his twin sister, Fredricka Gray, made her first public remarks, calling on protesters to stop the violence.
April 27, 2015
Following Gray’s funeral, tensions heightened between protesters and police, prompting the deployment of the National Guard. Protesters lit fires and destroyed dozens of businesses, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency.
April 28, 2015
The mayor of Baltimore instituted a mandatory 10 p.m. curfew.
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Gray’s death moved people across the nation to protest, with demonstrations happening as close as Washington and Philadelphia and as far as Oakland, California, and Seattle.
April 29, 2015
The Baltimore Orioles faced the Chicago White Sox in an empty stadium, believed to be a first in Major League Baseball history, due to ongoing protests.
May 1, 2015
Then-Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged the six officers in connection with Gray’s death.
May 8, 2015
The Department of Justice began investigating the Baltimore Police Department’s patterns and practices.
May 21, 2015
All six officers were indicted by a grand jury, Mosby announced.
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Sept. 9, 2015
An attorney for Gray’s family announced they had reached a $6.4 million settlement in their wrongful death case against Baltimore.
Dec. 2, 2015
Porter’s trial began.
Dec. 16, 2025
Porter’s trial ended in a mistrial.
May 12, 2016
Nero’s trial began.
May 23, 2015
Nero was found not guilty on all counts.
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June 6, 2016
Goodson’s trial began.
June 23, 2016
Goodson was found not guilty on all charges.
July 5, 2016
Rice’s trial began.
July 18, 2016
Rice was found not guilty on all counts.
July 27, 2016
The state’s attorney’s office dropped the charges against Miller, Porter and White.
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Aug. 10, 2016
The DOJ released the nearly 200-page results of a civil rights investigation into the Baltimore Police Department. The findings showed Baltimore Police routinely used excessive force and made unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests.
April 7, 2017
After the DOJ’s investigation, the city entered a court-enforced consent decree to address some of the findings. One requirement was officers safely transporting people after an arrest, which officials recently said has improved.
Sept. 12, 2017
The DOJ announced it would not pursue federal charges against the officers involved in Gray’s death due to insufficient evidence that they had violated his civil rights.
Present day
Murals across Baltimore stand in tribute to Gray, transforming city walls into canvases of remembrance and a call for justice.
The Baltimore Police Department has complied with some of over a dozen provisions in the consent decree. On Thursday, a judge terminated two sections of the consent decree: providing officers support services and safely transporting people in custody.
As the 10th anniversary of Gray’s death is remembered, many are turning to a host of events happening across the city to honor Gray’s legacy.
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