“Gray was already injured prior to being placed in the van.”
There is no video evidence of that. People arrested, wail and scream and drag their feet all the time.
The video shows him standing on the bumper and twisting both his back and neck to the rear and speaking.
So, it is crystal clear his vertebrae was not severed, prior to getting in the van.
I have not seen the video you’re explaining. I never saw a video of anybody wailing and screaming.
The only video I’ve seen shows Gray with his arms behind his back in handcuffs, and he’s not struggling at all; he appears to be almost lifeless (with his head slightly bent forward).
And .. I NEVER saw a video of him “standing” at any time - I saw the two policemen trying to get him inside the van; and he appears to be lifeless. I know prisoners can do this on purpose, but Gray didn’t appear to be resisting .. he appeared to be unable to comply.
Look, just because Gray has a long rap sheet does not mean that it’s proper procedure to critically injure him. Taking down a person who is running from the police usually ends in a slightly violent takedown. That does not mean it should injure a person beyond recovery.
So, you can do the usual and blame the police if you want .. but I see it differently.