The head of the city’s police head was fired in Baltimore two months after the riots

The mayor of Baltimore Stefani Rolingz-Blick on Wednesday, July 8, fired the city chief of Anthony Batts, who served since 2012, BBC reports. The temporary head of the police will be the deputy Batts, Kevin Davis.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the mayor of the city said that Batts honestly fulfilled his duty since 2012, but emphasized that the situation with bossal crimes needed immediate intervention.

Since April 19, when Freddie Gray died, there was a sharp increase in violent crimes in the city. In particular, the number of murders increased by 48% compared to the same period last year.

On Tuesday, July 7, the police department reported that the independent organization would evaluate the actions of the police during the suppression of the riots in April. The US Department of Justice conducts the same check.

Meanwhile, earlier on Wednesday, the trade union of police Baltimore published a report that states that during the riots, employees complained about the lack of basic equipment and preparation for work in the crowd. They also complained about the lack of competent leadership as the situation has developed. In their opinion, this became the reason that the riots reached such a scale.

The mayor of the city denies the connection between this report and the decision to dismiss the head of the Baltimore police.

Recall that at the end of April, Baltimore collided with the riots after the death of the black Freddie Gray. He died on April 19, the reason was a trauma of the spine, which he received either during the detention on April 12, or immediately after. The 25-year-old young man aroused the police suspicion due to the fact that, having met a look with a police patrol, he suddenly rushed away. After he was detained and placed in a police van, he began to behave violently, and he had to handcuffing him on his arms and legs.

As a result of the riots in the city, 15 buildings and 144 cars were burned.