Freddie Gray 'did not hurt himself' insists fellow passenger in police van

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: CNN.COM

The man who rode in a police van with Freddie Gray -- separated only by a partition -- is adamant about two things:

"I know for a fact that he (Gray) did not hurt himself," Donta Allen, who was a fellow prisoner in the van during a portion of the meandering path of the vehicle after Gray was taken into the custody and before medical help was summoned, told CNN's Don Lemon in an interview. Reciting a litany of Gray's injuries, Allen added "you cannot do that (to yourself) in the paddy wagon. You can probably hit your head and have a little headache, but you can't hurt yourself to the point you're going to be dead."

And as for a report in the Washington Post that he told investigators he had heard noises indicating Gray was trying to injure himself, "untrue. Very, very, very untrue," said Allen.

During the interview, airing Friday on "CNN Tonight," Allen said at the police station, as he was being taken to the "bullpen" area for incoming prisoners, he overheard a female police officer say, "Well, you know, we gave him a run for his money -- he's not breathing."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/01/us/freddie-gray-van-second-man/index.html

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Yet, news organizations, CNN, CBS etc. were very quick to promote the meme that Mr. Gray created his own injuries.

[Bleacher Creature]

1. I'm really surprised that report wasn't true.

And by "really surprised" I mean NOT SURPRISED AT ALL!!

[Suji to Seoul]

3. shocked, shocked i tell ya.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. I'm curious what the police report says about this witness.

Since the leaked story to WaPo was filtered via the police spokesperson and was not in the guy's own words.

I'm guessing something like this:

"I heard some bumping noises like he was hitting the wall of the van."

'Would you say it was POSSIBLE that he was doing it to himself? Hmmmm?'

"Well I suppose anything's possible, but - "

'That's all I need, thanks!'

(Calls WaPo, says 'witness thinks Gray may have been trying to harm himself', WaPo eagerly publishes, story instantly triumphantly repeated by a hundred thousand right wing pundits and facebook pages)

[alp227]

4. classic jailhouse snitch trying to get a shorter sentence nt

[uncle ray]

7. can't blame him, the guy next to him got a death sentence. without trial.

that's a pretty damn compelling reason to say whatever the pigs tell you to.

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. What?

You mean he didn't sever his own spine? I find that hard to believe.









Do I really need this?

[certainot]

6. the thing is, this is the crap they're spewing from every

right wing radio station in the country and they might tone it down and let it fade away if the the MSM comes out with the real story, but they won't correct it, so it stays that way to most of those 10s of millions of teabagger dittoheads.

it will probably remain a part of the narrative used to excuse the cops and blame the media and accuse dem politicians in b-more of a cover up to elect tepublicans in the next elections.

[yardwork]

8. Has WaPo corrected the record on this yet?

I saw their front page article several days ago in which they reported that this witness said that Gray was deliberately trying to hurt himself. I saw no correction yesterday. Anything?