"VICTORY RALLY": Thousands Expected In Baltimore, Maryland, USA Rallies, Now Celebratory

This photo provided by the Baltimore Police Department on Friday, May 1, 2015 shows, top row from left, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Garrett E. Miller and Edward M. Nero, and bottom row from left, William G. Porter, Brian W. Rice and Alicia D. White, the six police officers charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in the death of Freddie Gray. (Baltimore Police Department via AP)

A massive march planned for Saturday to protest the death of a man in police custody is now being billed as a "victory rally" after Baltimore's top prosecutor filed criminal charges against the six officers involved in the man's arrest.

The thousands of marchers who are expected to hit the streets this weekend will now do so to celebrate the decision by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby to charge the officers with felonies ranging from assault to murder, and encourage continued peaceful demonstrations.

Freddie Gray's death from spinal injuries a week after his April 12 arrest provoked riots on the streets of West Baltimore on Monday and quickly became a rallying cry against police brutality and social inequality in the city. Mosby's announcement on Friday triggered celebrations on those same streets.

AP report continues:

Mosby said that after reviewing the results of a police investigation turned over to her just one day before, she had concluded Gray's arrest was illegal and unjustified. She said his neck was broken because he was handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van, where his pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored as he bounced around inside a small metal compartment in the vehicle.

The officers missed five opportunities to help the injured and falsely imprisoned detainee before he arrived at the police station no longer breathing, Mosby added. They even rerouted the van to pick up another passenger, she said.

The police had no reason to stop or chase after Gray, Mosby said. They falsely accused him of having an illegal switchblade when in fact it was a legal pocketknife, and failed to strap him down with a seatbelt, a direct violation of department policy, she said.

Gray's stepfather, Robert Shipley, said the family was happy the officers were charged, and he reiterated a plea to keep all public demonstrations peaceful.

"We are satisfied with today's charges; they are an important step in getting justice for Freddie," Shipley said. "But if you are not coming in peace, please don't come at all."

The family lawyer, Billy Murphy, said the charges are "a first step but not the last," adding that Baltimore now has an opportunity to set an example for cities across the nation grappling with police brutality.

"The overwhelming number of people who have protested over the days didn't know Freddie personally, but the people of Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, and in numerous cities and towns are expressing their outrage that there are too many Freddie Grays," Murphy said. "If Freddie Gray is not to die in vain, we must seize this opportunity to reform police departments throughout this country, so there are no more days and times like this."

A lawyer hired by the police union insisted the officers did nothing wrong. Attorney Michael Davey said Friday that Mosby has committed "an egregious rush to judgment."

But for others who saw Gray's arrest and death as a reflection of the city's broad social and economic problems, the announcement of charges prompted celebrations in the streets.

At City Hall, Andrea Otom, 41, sobbed with something like joy.

"You have to be able to expect that at some time, the pendulum will swing in your favor, and in the black community we've seen it over and over and over where it doesn't," Otom said. "I'm so happy to see a day where the pendulum has finally begun to swing."

Black Lawyers for Justice is expecting at least 10,000 people to show up for a protest rally Saturday in downtown Baltimore.

Malik Shabazz, the group's president, said he expects even more people to show up now that the officers have been charged.

"Our rally will proceed as a victory rally," he said. "It will be a rally for justice and against police brutality."

A Look at the 6 Officers Charged in Freddie Gray's Death

Newsmax reports:

Six officers are charged in Freddie Gray's death from injuries he suffered while in police custody. State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby says the officers repeatedly failed to get Gray medical treatment after his arrest. The police officers union has said they are not responsible for Gray's death.

Here is a look at each of the six officers.

OFFICER CAESAR GOODSON

Goodson was the driver of the van that transported Freddie Gray, and he faces the most serious charges. Mosby said Friday that Goodson repeatedly failed — a total of five times — to seatbelt Gray in the transport vehicle. Overall, Goodson faces six charges, including "second-degree depraved heart murder," which carries a potential 30-year sentence.

Goodson, 45, has been on the force since 1999. Friends describe him as a family man who likes to watch football and works part time as an auto mechanic at a shop specializing in Saabs. With help, he restored a green Saab convertible, a car one friend says he only takes out a few times a year. He wasn't scheduled to work on the day Gray was arrested but had been asked to work overtime, friends said.

A friend who worked with him as a mechanic said Goodson had hoped to retire in several years.

LT. BRIAN RICE

Rice was on bike patrol when he made eye contact with Freddie Gray on a Baltimore street April 12. Gray ran, and Rice pursued him. Bike patrol officers Garrett Miller and Edward Nero joined the pursuit.

Rice, 41, is the most senior officer to be charged. He joined the police force in 1997 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2011, police said. Records obtained by The Associated Press from a sheriff's department and court show he was hospitalized in April 2012 following concerns about his mental health. Worries about his stability led deputies to confiscate both his official and personal guns, and his commanding officer was called. It was not immediately clear whether or when all of Rice's guns were returned.

OFFICER GARRETT MILLER AND OFFICER EDWARD NERO

Gray surrendered to Miller, 26, and Nero, 29. Miller and Nero handcuffed Gray and put him on the ground. Gray told the officers that he couldn't breathe and requested an inhaler, Mosby said. The two officers, both of whom joined the police force in 2012, sat Gray up and found a folded knife clipped to the inside of his pants pocket, a knife that is lawful under Maryland law, Mosby said. Previously, police have said they found a switchblade.

Mosby said Gray didn't commit any crime, and the officers "illegally arrested Mr. Gray."

The officers put the knife on the sidewalk and then put Gray back down on his stomach, when he started to flail legs and scream, Mosby said.

Nero held Gray down until Goodson arrived driving a police transport van. Miller, Nero and Rice then put Gray inside.

While Gray was being transported, Miller, Nero and Rice took him out of the wagon and put flex handcuffs and leg shackles on him. After that stop, they put Gray back into the van on his stomach without a seatbelt.

OFFICER WILLIAM PORTER

At one point during the van ride, Goodson requested help checking on Gray. Porter, 25, who joined the force in 2012, responded. Both he and Goodson checked on Gray. Porter helped Gray from the floor to a bench in the van, but neither Goodson nor Porter requested medical attention or put a seatbelt on Gray.

SGT. ALICIA WHITE

White is the second-highest officer charged in the Gray case. She met the van at its stop to pick up the second person. White, 30, was responsible for investigating two citizen complaints about Gray's arrest. She joined the police in 2010 and was recently made a sergeant in January 2015, police said.

During the stop, White, Goodson and Porter saw Gray unresponsive on the floor. White "spoke to the back of Gray's head" but he did not respond, Mosby said. The group did not call for medical assistance.