Baltimore authorities’ secrecy fuels more suspicion

Published 9:12 am Friday, May 1, 2015

BALTIMORE — Authorities’ refusal to provide more than a few sketchy details about the Freddie Gray investigation is fueling suspicion and mistrust as a weekend of protest rallies looms.

The secrecy may be legally appropriate, but many in Baltimore were finding it hard to be patient Thursday when police revealed next to nothing about the criminal investigation they turned over to the state’s attorney’s office.

Nearly two weeks after Gray’s death, the public still doesn’t know much more than it did on Day One. The central question — what caused his fatal spinal cord injury while he was in police custody earlier this month — remains a mystery.

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“The transparency is just not there,” the Rev. Cortly “C.D.” Witherspoon said after Police Commissioner Anthony Batts refused to answer any questions Thursday.

Batts said a 10 p.m. curfew for all residents and a state of emergency declared by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan would remain in effect through Sunday. The curfew went into effect for the third night Thursday with no major incidents.