Advertisement

Baltimore police threatened by gangs, as Freddie Gray mourned

By Ed Adamczyk
Mourners view the body of Freddie Gray at the New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore on Monday. Gray died after suffering a spinal cord injury as he was arrested by Baltimore City Police. Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/UPI
1 of 7 | Mourners view the body of Freddie Gray at the New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore on Monday. Gray died after suffering a spinal cord injury as he was arrested by Baltimore City Police. Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/UPI | License Photo

BALTIMORE, April 27 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Police Department said it has received a threat by local gangs in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured in police custody.

A police statement said the department received a "credible threat" that "various gangs" have "entered into a partnership" to harm police. The statement listed Bloods, Crips and the Black Guerilla Family as members of that partnership. "Law enforcement agencies should take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of their officers," the statement said.

Advertisement

Baltimore police spokesman Capt. Ed Kowalczyk did not comment on how the information was obtained, or whether it is connected to demonstrations protesting the Gray's treatment.

The funeral for Gray, meanwhile, took place peacefully Monday morning after a night of violence in the city. Mourners filled the New Shiloh Baptist Church to its capacity of 2,500. Mourners entered to view Gray in an open casket, which was then closed for the service, which included a choir and small band. Two video screens, on either side of the casket, read "Black Lives Matter & All Lives Matter."

Advertisement

The police department said 34 people were arrested Saturday, and six police officers sustained injuries, after protesters marched from City Hall to the city baseball stadium. Some marchers left against police orders and looted a convenience store and smashed department store windows. One threw a burning garbage can at a line of police officers in riot gear.

The funeral included White House representative Broderick Johnson and members of Families United for Justice, a group that includes relatives of Eric Garner, who died of a chokehold applied by a New York City police officer in July 2014; relatives of Amadou Diallo, shot by New York City police officers; and those of Alberta Sprull, whose fatal heart attack was provoked by a stun grenade thrown by police during a bungled raid.

Gray was arrested April 12 for reasons not yet identified, was hospitalized after being taken to a police station and died a week later of a broken spine. Police have acknowledged Gray should have been secured with a seat belt in the vehicle taking him to the station, but has said little else about the incident. It has provoked daily demonstrations in Baltimore, and six police officers have been suspended, pending an investigation.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines