We Own This City: Was Freddie Gray Based on a Real-Life Person?

Was Freddie Gray Based on a Real Person

Was Freddie Gray Based on a Real-Life Person? Let’s find out the truth. The death of Freddie Gray on April 19 has left many issues unexplained. However, it is evident that when Gray was apprehended in West Baltimore on April 12, he was having difficulty walking. He was unable to breathe or speak when he arrived at the police station a half-hour later, suffering from wounds that would kill him.

Gray died of spinal injuries on Sunday. Authorities in Baltimore claim they’re looking into how the 25-year-old was injured, which seems odd given that he was injured while being held in police custody and hidden from public view. That’s still unclear how it happened. Even more perplexing is why authorities detained Gray in the first place.

However, following Gray’s death on Sunday, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Baltimore, bringing the incident into a long line of high-profile, tragic confrontations between black individuals and police. Meanwhile, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a reserve sheriff’s deputy pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of a man he shot on Tuesday.

According to the deputy, the shooting occurred when he was attempting to tase the subject. Of course, black males dying at the hands of police is nothing new, but the country is finally paying notice and reacting with horror.

Must Read: Freddie Gray Death: Who Killed Him and Why?

Freddie Gray arrest

We Own This City‘ tells the story of Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force’s corrupt cops and how they are eventually brought to justice. The gritty HBO mini-series depicts heinous atrocities committed with impunity by individual police officers in a city on the verge of collapse. The story is set in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, a historic tragedy that shook the city and prompted the administration to investigate its police force. We wanted to go more into Freddie Gray because so much of ‘We Own This City’ is based on true events.

Is Freddie Gray a fictional character or a Real Person?

Yes, the character of Freddie Gray and his terrible end in the show is based on a real person with the same name. On April 19, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African-American Baltimore native, died. The circumstances of his death shocked the population, resulting in significant protests and riots that demanded the National Guard’s intervention.

On April 12, 2015, personnel of the Baltimore Police Department detained Freddie for possessing an unlawful “switchblade.” On his journey to holding, he was placed inside a BPD transport van and brutally injured. Freddie was found unconscious 45 minutes after being apprehended and placed in the truck by the Baltimore Police Department. He was eventually discovered with significant injuries to his spinal cord.

who was freddie gray

Notably, the knife Freddie was carrying was eventually determined to be legal and not a switchblade. Multiple eyewitness accounts claimed to have witnessed the cops using excessive force toward Freddie. Kevin Moore filmed the last few minutes of his arrest and shared it with detectives before uploading it on the internet, where it became viral. Officers Garrett Miller and Edward Nero were seen holding Freddie in a police hold known as a “leg lace” on it.

The aftermath of Freddie’s death, as well as the video uploaded by residents, sparked considerable indignation and protests around the city. On April 25, 2019, a large-scale demonstration in downtown Baltimore turned violent, resulting in several arrests. In the process, police officers were also hurt.

When the situation became more dangerous, Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed a state of emergency, and the Maryland National Guard was deployed until May 3, 2019. Six Baltimore police officers have been arrested in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. None of them, however, were found guilty.

Recommended: We Own This City Episode 1 ‘Part One’ Recap and Ending Explained

How Did Freddie Gray Die

What Caused Freddie Gray’s Death?

According to sources, Freddie was injured while being taken in the police van. Marilyn Mosby, the state attorney for Maryland, later stated that the young man requested medical assistance on two separate occasions during this period but was not quickly attended to. Freddie was then admitted to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he died a week later from catastrophic spinal cord damage.

Freddie’s injuries were caused during his time in the van, which included six stops, two prisoner checks on the victim, and another passenger pick-up, according to a police investigation. The fatal injury was caused by a “high-energy” blow of his skull against a hard surface, according to the postmortem report.

The death was ruled a homicide by the Maryland state examiner, which Marilyn Mosby later confirmed. According to the state attorney, Freddie Gray’s death was “believed to be the consequence of a fatal injury that happened while Mr. Gray was unrestrained by a seatbelt in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department vehicle,” according to the results of the state’s independent inquiry.

Watch ‘We Own This City,’ a mini-series on HBO.