Freddie Gray trial: Prosecutor says officer William Porter failed to provide medical aid

A Baltimore police officeron trial for the death of a black man from a spinal injury while in custody failed to secure him in the back of a van and ignored his request for medical aid, a prosecutor said in opening statements on Wednesday.

But a defence lawyer for Officer William Porter, who is also black,rejected the allegations, saying that the officer had no responsibility to strap in Freddie Gray and that Gray showed no signs of being ill or injured.

Gray's death in April triggered rioting, arson and protests in the largely black city and fuelled a national debate over police tactics and relations with minorities.

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Porter, 26, faces charges including manslaughter, second-degree assault and misconduct. Gray, 25, died a week after he was taken into custody on April 12 for fleeing an officer and possessing a knife.

Porter is the first of six officers to go on trial in the case. The other five officers are charged with offences ranging from misconduct to second-degree murder.

The Baltimore trials mark a rare case of the prosecution of police for misconduct. Legal experts have said the outcome could influence U.S. prosecutors in bringing charges in cases of alleged police brutality.

Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow said Porter was present at five of the six stops the van made the day Gray was arrested, shackled and handcuffed. He described Gray's neck injury as similar to that suffered by a diver landing headfirst in a shallow pool.

Although Gray told Porter he could not breathe, the officer ignored his requests for medical aid as well as a department order mandating that detainees be secured with a seat belt, Schatzow said.

"When Mr. Gray went into the van, there was nothing wrong with his spine," Schatzow told the jury of eight women and four men. "When he was taken out of the van, he couldn't breathe, he was unconscious, no heartbeat."

Porter also had been trained at the police academy to give medical assistance to people who request it and to secure detainees in vehicles with seatbelts.

The officer's lawyer, Gary Proctor, said other officers such as the van driver and arresting officers likely were responsible for ensuring that Gray was secured, not Porter.

Gray, who had a history of brushes with the law, had a reputation of causing a scene when being arrested, Proctor said.

Porter "knew he [Gray]didn't go quietly," the lawyer said.

Porter was present a few weeks before when Gray tried to kick out the windows of a squad car.

Gray also showed no symptoms of medical trouble when Porter spoke with him.

Taking Gray to a hospital would have stripped the short-handed police district of another officer, Proctor said.

In the courtroom, Gray's mother and two other women wept quietly while Schatzow spoke. Gray's stepfather was also present.

The first witness was Alice Carson Johnson, an instructor at the Baltimore Police Academy.

Gray's death followed police killings of black men in other cities, including New York and Ferguson, Miss. The deaths gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement, which has staged more than year of mostly peaceful protests across the United States.