BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is firing back at the city’s top prosecutor for critical comments she made in a magazine profile.
Rawlings-Blake told reporters Wednesday that State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby rushed to prosecute six police officers in the death of a young black man whose neck was broken in the back of a transport wagon. Freddie Gray’s death led to protests and riots in Baltimore. Three of the officers were acquitted and charges were dropped against the others.
The mayor’s comments were in response to a profile of Mosby in The New York Times Magazine in which she said the mayor disseminated false information about the investigation into Gray’s death. In the story Mosby recalled “screaming” at Rawlings-Blake and blaming the riots on her.
Mosby told the magazine that she called Rawlings-Blake during the riots in April of 2015 and screamed, “You have single-handedly caused what’s happening in this city right now,” before hanging up on the mayor.
Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday said, “Am I to blame? No,” adding, “you have to stand up, be in the big role and say to the people if you need more time to continue to investigate.”
Five of the six officers have filed defamation suits against Mosby for “malicious prosecution.” Shortly after the riot Rawlings-Blake suspended her re-election campaign after facing harsh criticism for failing to address citizens or the media for hours as the worst of the rioting raged in the streets.
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