Officer testifies in Baltimore death

BALTIMORE (AP) — Officer William Porter was poised and calm as he testified in his own defense Wednesday, telling jurors that he didn’t call an ambulance for Freddie Gray because Gray was alert, appeared uninjured and didn’t complain of any pain or wounds in the back of a police van.

Instead, Gray only said “yes” when Porter offered to get him medical aid, the officer testified. Porter said he suggested to the van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, that Goodson take Gray to the hospital because he knew a prisoner claiming injury would be turned away from jail.

But “I can’t tell Officer Goodson what to do,” Porter said when asked why he didn’t do more to ensure that Gray went to the hospital immediately.

Porter, who was driving a patrol car, responded to calls for assistance at some of the van stops. Porter said that during the fourth stop, he went inside the back of the van and helped Gray, who was handcuffed and shackled, from the floor onto the bench. Porter said Gray wasn’t limp, and was able to support himself with his legs.

The fourth stop is crucial in Porter’s case because prosecutors say Gray was already injured by the time he arrived there, and that Porter’s failure to call a medic contributed to Gray’s death. Defense attorneys say Gray was injured later in the ride.

“Freddie Gray wasn’t injured at stop four or five, it’s that simple,” Porter said. “Had he been injured, I would have called a medic.”

Prosecutors also say that by not buckling Gray into a seat belt during that stop, Porter was criminally negligent. The department requires detainees to be buckled up.