Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero (C) arrives at the Mitchell Courthouse-West on the day a judge will issue a vertict in his trial May 23, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero (C) arrives at the Mitchell Courthouse-West on the day a judge will issue a vertict in his trial May 23, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A Baltimore police officer was acquitted today of charges connected to the arrest and death of Freddie Gray last April. A judge found Officer Edward M. Nero not guilty of four criminal counts in the case.

It is the first verdict reached among six officers facing criminal charges. A jury was unable to reach a verdict in an earlier trial of officer William Porter, and a judge declared a mistrial in December. The 25-year-old Gray suffered a fatal spine injury after he was taken into police custody and died a week later. His death sparked a week of peaceful protests in Baltimore, followed by riots that resulted in Governor Larry Hogan declaring a state of emergency and calling in the National Guard.

Nero’s charges included second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of misconduct in office. His attorney, Marc Zayon, said that the state failed to prove any of its charges beyond a reasonable doubt, The Washington Post reports. Zayon also said that Nero “acted as any reasonable Baltimore police officer would in his involvement with Gray.”

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement that “in the case of any disturbance in the city, we are prepared to respond.” She also points out that Nero will now face an administrative review by the Baltimore Police Department.

Filed Under: baltimore, baltimore officer, Edward M. Nero, Edward Nero, freddie gray,