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ByJulietLinderman The Associated Press BALTIMORE A judge fur- ther hollowed out the case against six police officers charged in the death of a young black man, delivering a third consecutive acquit- tal and ruling once again that prosecutors failed to prove officers intentionally hurt Freddie Gray. In acquitting Lt. Brian Rice, the highest ranking of- ficer charged, Baltimore Cir- cuit Judge Barry Williams was unequivocal in his rul- ing Monday. He told prose- cutors they failed to estab- lish that Rice was aware of his duty to buckle Gray into a seat belt, and more impor- tantly, that he deliberately breached his duty in order to put Gray in danger. "There are a number of possibilities this court could entertain, some that are in- nocent and some that are not," Williams said. "How- ever,theburdenofproofrests withthestate,andthecourt's imaginings do not serve as a substitute for evidence." Gray was arrested in April 2015 when he ran from police in a high- crime area. He was hand- cuffed and shackled but left unbuckled in the back of a police van and suffered a critical neck injury. Gray's name became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement, fueling outrage nationwide over the treat- ment of black people by the criminal justice system and prompting the worst rioting in the city in decades. The U.S. Justice Depart- ment launched a patterns and practice investigation into allegations of wide- spread abuse and unlawful arrests by the Baltimore Po- lice Department. Rice was cleared of man- slaughter, reckless endan- germent and misconduct in office. Earlier this year, offi- cers Edward Nero and Cae- sar Goodson, the van driver who was facing a murder charge, were also found not guilty. Officer William Por- ter's trial ended in a hung jury in December and his retrial is scheduled for Sep- tember. The last two officers have trials this month and in October. Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after he suffered a crit- ical spinal injury in the back of Goodson's police wagon. Prosecutors say the officers were criminally negligent when they failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt or pro- vide medical attention after he indicated that he wanted to go to a hospital. 3rdofficeracquitted in police custody death FREDDIE GRAY CASE STEVERUARK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Lt. Brian Rice, le , one of the six members of the Baltimore Police Department charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, arrives at the courthouse on Monday. By Mike Kunzelman and Melinda Deslatte The Associated Press BATON ROUGE, LA. A for- mer Marine dressed in black and carrying extra ammunition set out to am- bush police in Baton Rouge, authorities said Monday, a day after three law enforce- ment officers were killed in the attack. The gunman's "move- ments, his direction, his attention was on police officers," state police Col. Mike Edmonson said. He would not elaborate but said the shooter was defi- nitely "seeking out" police. Three other officers were wounded Sunday, one crit- ically. The gunman was identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Mis- souri, who was black. He turned 29 on the day of the ambush and was killed in a gunbattle with police. In online posts, a man using an alias of Long's said protests alone do not work, and that people must fight back after the deaths of black men at the hands of police. Documents show that Long sought to change his name last year to Cosmo Setepenra. A website us- ing that name links to on- line books about nutrition, self-awareness and empow- erment. The man describes himself as a "freedom strat- egist, mental game coach, nutritionist, author and spiritual advisor." In a video posted July 10, the person making the post says he's speaking from Dallas after five po- lice officers were fatally shot there during a protest of the deaths of black men in encounters with law en- forcement. The man also discusses protests in Ba- ton Rouge and what he per- ceived as oppression. He says: "You've got to fight back. That's the only way a bully knows to quit." In an earlier video, the man says that if anything ever happens to him, he doesn't want to be linked to any groups and mentioned once belonging to Nation of Islam. In documents seeking the name change, Long also referred to himself as a member of a black sepa- ratist group known as the Washitaw Nation. The attack unfolded less than two weeks after Baton Rouge police fatally shot a black man in a confronta- tion that reverberated na- tionwide. The shooting less than a mile from police headquar- ters added to the tensions across the country between the black community and police. It was the fourth high-profile deadly encoun- ter in the United States in- volving police over the past two weeks. In all, the vio- lence has cost the lives of eight officers, including those in Baton Rouge, and two civilians and sparked a national debate over race and policing. Long served in the Ma- rines from 2005 to 2010, reaching the rank of ser- geant. He deployed to Iraq from June 2008 to January 2009, according to military records. While in the military, Long was awarded sev- eral medals, including one for good conduct, and re- ceived an honorable dis- charge. His occupational expertise was listed as "data network specialist." Although he was be- lieved to be the only per- son who fired at officers, authorities were investi- gating whether he had any help. Long attended classes at the University of Ala- bama for one semester in the spring of 2012. A school spokesman said university police had no interactions with him. Long sought to change his name last year in a doc- ument filed in May 2015 with the recorder of deeds in Jackson County, Mis- souri. He also said he was a member of the Washitaw de Dugdahmoundyah, or the Washitaw Nation. The group describes it- self as a sovereign nation composed of blacks de- scended from ancestors who settled in North Amer- ican before Columbus, ac- cording to the Southern Poverty Law Center. BATON ROUGE Police: Gunman who killed 3 was 'seeking out' officers CURTIS COMPTON — ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Millville, N.J., Police Chaplain Bob Ossler prays and weeps with a local resident as she places flowers on a memorial at the B-Quik gas station on Monday in Baton Rouge, La. Long InPrintEveryTuesday-Thursday-Saturday Online:Publishes24/7 www.redbluffdailynews.com Threeadditionalonline locations at no extra cost! 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