Baltimore ABC affiliate WMAR got a market first when it spoke with one of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
Thursday night at 11 p.m., WMAR will air investigative reporter Brian Kuebler‘s interview with Baltimore City Police Sergeant Alicia White. this is the first televised interview with any of the six officers involved in Gray’s death.
“This interview is an important element of how we as a station have worked to share all voices of our community in this polarizing case,” said WMAR news director Kelly Groft. “Brian Kuebler has used his extensive network of contacts and strong level of trust among his sources to obtain exclusive access to one of the officers involved.”
The station said in a press release that the interview covers what it was like to go from being a cop with a promising career to one facing jail time after gray’s death while in custody. Sgt. White also talks about her life after prosecutors dropped all charges against her and her feelings about about Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. White is suing Mosby for defamation and invasion of privacy.
Gray died from spinal injuries a week after being arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police van. “I know that when Mr Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk, he was upset,” The BBC reports Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said. “And when Mr Gray was taken out of that van he could not talk and he could not breathe.”
“Brian’s brand of journalism and the trust that he instills is part of what makes our news department respected among fellow journalists in the area,” said Bill Hooper, general manager of WMAR. “We have reported extensively on all sides of this case from the very beginning and we will take full advantage of the opportunity to speak directly with Sgt. White to get the full scope of this story.”
The series of interviews start Thursday, November 17. Thursday’s interviews were conducted by Kuebler and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun.