National
Baltimore Riots: Emails Between City Leaders Show Chaos, Confusion
Members of the National Guard walk along North Avenue near where riots occurred April 27 following the funeral for Freddie Gray, after a 10 p.m. curfew went into effect Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
(CNN) – Baltimore officials knew protests could erupt the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral but were overwhelmed by the riots that followed.
Those are some of the details found in 7,000 pages of government emails the city released Monday. The documents were turned over after a public records request by CNN.
Violence engulfed Baltimore on April 27, the day of Gray’s funeral. The 25-year-old Baltimore man died in police custody after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while riding in a police van.
What started as largely peaceful protests in the days leading up to the funeral devolved into assaults on police, looting, arson and the devastation of businesses.
The emails reflect, in part, what then-Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told CNN in early May.
