Things to know for officer's trial in death of Freddie Gray

BALTIMORE (AP) — A jury will be seated Wednesday for the trial of Officer William Porter, the first of six Baltimore police officers to stand trial in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died of a spinal injury he suffered in custody.

Porter faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

On April 12, Gray was arrested outside the Gilmor Homes, a public housing complex in West Baltimore, after making eye contact with a Baltimore police officer on bike patrol and running from the officer.

Commissioner Kevin Davis said in an interview with The Associated Press that the police department is ready to respond to any civil unrest that could crop up as a result of Porter's trial, but added that arrest is a last resort when it comes to protest.

Davis, who took over for former police chief Anthony Batts in July and was sworn in as permanent commissioner last month, said he expects the results of the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into allegations of excessive force and unwarranted stops sometime early next year.

In the riot's aftermath, the city's commissioner Anthony Batts was fired amid harsh criticism from rank-and-file police officers that he and his administration mishandled the unrest.

In May the homicide rate began to climb, leading some residents in poor, violent neighborhoods to blame the police for taking a hands-off approach to the crime fight.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced shortly after that she wouldn't seek re-election.

Since April's unrest the city's homicide rate has continued to climb, but the protests have remained peaceful.