(CNN) The family of Freddie Gray asked the public to “remain calm” Wednesday after a judge declared a mistrial in the case of Baltimore police Officer William Porter.
Reading from a statement, Richard Shipley, Gray’s stepfather, said he is hopeful Porter will be retried.
“We ask the public to remain calm, patient, because we are confident there will be another trial, and a different jury. If we are calm, you should be calm,” he said.
A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of Baltimore police Officer William Porter after jurors said they were deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the four charges against him.
Porter was one of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Prosecutors will decide whether to retry the case.
The judge told the prosecution and defense attorneys to appear in administrative court Thursday morning to set a new trial date.
A defense attorney declined to comment, saying he was subject to a court gag order.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby was in court when the mistrial was declared and looked visibly upset. Prosecutors appeared exasperated.
“The hung jury is, I think, a major setback for the state,” said Andrew Alperstein, a Baltimore defense attorney and former prosecutor. But it’s no surprise the jury wasn’t able to reach a verdict, he said.
“The issues in this case were confusing,” he said, “and the evidence against this particular officer was unique, and it was different than the other defendants.”
CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said it was surprising that prosecutors decided to start with Porter’s case.
“I don’t think you want to start out with a problem case, and this case looks to be a very weak case,” he said, “and obviously, if there’s a hung jury, it was presented in a very weak way.”
Mayor calls for calm
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a statement calling for calm after the mistrial was declared.
“This is our American system of justice,” the mayor said in a statement posted on her official Twitter account. “Twelve Baltimore residents listened to the evidence presented and were unable to render a unanimous decision.”
“As a unified city, we must respect the outcome of the judicial process. In the coming days, if some choose to demonstrate peacefully to express their opinion, that is their constitutional right. I urge everyone to remember that collectively, our reaction needs to be one of respect for our neighborhoods, and for the residents and businesses of our city.
“In the case of any disturbance in the city, we are prepared to respond. We will protect our neighborhoods, our businesses and the people of our city.”
Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, said she expected the group of protesters outside the courthouse and elsewhere in the city would grow.
“It’s very sad,” she told CNN, “because I think that everybody was very happy that police got indicted, and not to get a conviction is painful. We wanted victory in the sense that officers can’t get away with killing someone.”
With a verdict possible this week, the city of Baltimore said it activated its emergency operations center Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
