Baltimore erupts in riots after funeral of man who died in police custody

Baltimore erupted in violence on Monday as hundreds of rioters looted stores, burned buildings and injured at least 15 police officers following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody. The riots broke out just a few blocks from the funeral of Freddie Gray and then spread through much of West Baltimore in the most violent U.S. demonstrations since arson and shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, last year. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called the rioters “thugs” and imposed a citywide curfew for adults beginning Tuesday night, with exceptions for work and medical emergencies.

The sad part about it is that a lot of people from the community were up there in the CVS, stealing stuff out of it. It’s a disgrace.

Daisy Bush, 61, Baltimore resident

Gray’s death on April 19 reignited a public outcry over police treatment of African Americans that flared last year after the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, New York City and elsewhere. Police in Baltimore on Monday used pepper spray on rioters who had sacked check-cashing and liquor stores. Looting spread to a nearby shopping mall and rioters smashed car windows outside a major hotel. The largely black city has long struggled with high crime and gangs, a reputation that has made it the setting for gritty television police dramas such as “The Wire.”

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