[Stephanie Rawlings-blake, Mayor Of Baltimore:] I want citizens to know exactly how it happened and, if necessary, we will I will insure that we will hold the right people accountable.
[Camerota:] Big questions this morning for the Baltimore Police Department. How did 27-year-old Freddie Gray become so severely injured in custody that he died yesterday? Police did not explain why Gray was arrested or how he sustained those injuries. Let's bring in the attorney, William Murphy, Jr. He represents the family of Freddie Gray. Mr. Murphy, thanks for being with us.
[William Murphy Jr., Attorney For Freddie Gray's Family:] Thank you. Good morning.
[Camerota:] What has the Baltimore Police Department shared with you and the family about the arrest?
[Murphy:] Absolutely nothing. The only things we know from the police are the things that they've said on television, and that hasn't been much at all. There is a video surveillance camera right above where Freddie Green was Freddie Gray was arrested. And that camera should tell at least the first part of the story about what happened to him from the beginning of the time the police first touched him to the time that he was put into the vehicle to be taken to the police station.
[Camerota:] So so the police have not communicated with you or the family at all. Have have they mentioned why they confronted Freddie Gray to begin with?
[Murphy:] No. And the officers evidently have taken the Fifth Amendment rather than cooperate with the police investigation.
[Camerota:] Well, the mayor, as you just heard, of Baltimore, is promising a thorough investigation. Here's what she said yesterday.
[Rawlings-blake:] We have to move forward in a responsible way to determine all of the facts of this incident so that we can provide the community with the answers, the real answers, that they deserve.
[Camerota:] Now the city's chief prosecutor is investigating this, says that there's an investigation under way. Are you satisfied that the prosecutor will be able come up with some real answers?
[Murphy:] Well, we're enthusiastic about the new prosecutor. She's newly elected, and she comes to the office with a belief in the integrity of these kinds of investigations. We have much more confidence in her than we have in the police. Because there's never been any level of confidence, nor should there be, in the police investigating themselves. So we we await the outcome of that investigation, and of course, we're doing our own investigation simultaneously, as far as we can. We've already interviewed about a dozen witnesses at the scene, and we've seen the police or the citizen videos that have come out concerning what happened.
[Camerota:] And so from your investigation, what do you believe happened?
[Murphy:] Well, what we do know for sure is that he was in good health when the police first contacted him, and he died of an 80 percent severed spinal cord and three broken vertebrae in his neck.
[Camerota:] Is that what doctors have told you?
[Murphy:] And that's not good.
[Camerota:] Where are you getting that information, Mr. Murphy?
[Murphy:] We have our own sources at this point. And we're not at liberty to expose those sources, but I'm confident that that information is reliable.
[Camerota:] Something, obviously, grievous happened to him. Even in that video that we're watching, you can see at one point the police dragging him. And it appears that Mr. Gray's legs are limp. So something happened that we can't see on the video. What are witnesses telling you?
[Murphy:] Well, the witnesses' stories at this point, on matters as critical as a video, which will show everything. Now, of course, the video has no sound, and we think it won't have. The witnesses will be important to fill in that part of what happened. But you could see him screaming in pain as he has been dragging, or as he's being dragged to the police vehicle; and that's problematic. And you can also see his legs are appear to be limp and not moving. And that also suggests that the injury may have already happened at that point. But until we see the autopsy report and we await the outcome of the police investigation, and what I understand is the simultaneous investigation by the chief prosecutor of Baltimore, we'll know more about this. Now, bear in mind that Baltimore has a sorry history of police brutality and a sorrier history in terms of a governmental response to police brutality. Typically, the police deny, deny, deny, no matter what the facts are. And it is not unusual for them to promote the police officer, even after he's been found guilty of brutality. We had one case I handled this where we got a $44 million verdict against the police officer who rammed my client into the brick wall at the back of his holding cell and paralyzed him from the neck down.
[Camerota:] Oh my goodness.
[Murphy:] That police officer was promoted to sergeant after the verdict against him, and the city refused to pay and made us appeal at every level. So we had to go to the court of special appeals, the court of appeals.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Murphy:] We won in all of the appellate courts, and still they wouldn't pay the verdict. So it's a sorry, sorry, situation.
[Camerota:] Mr. Murphy, can you tell us how the family of Freddie Gray is processing all of this?
[Murphy:] Oh, they're broken up, completely. They're they're barely able to absorb these tragic events. These things happened so quickly, and it's a real tragedy.
[Camerota:] Well, we certainly hope that the mayor and, if there is an independent review and the prosecutor's office can get to the bottom of what actually happened here. Mr. Billy Murphy, thank you so much for being on
[New Day. Murphy:] Thank you for having me.
[Camerota:] Let's get over to John.
[Berman:] All right. Thanks, Alisyn. The single most important indication of what will happen in the presidential election to be published in the last 83 minutes. Surprising numbers. Inside the numbers, a brand-new CNN poll that will change how you view the campaign.