How the hell did the cops break that poor guy's spine?

[brush]

9. It was reported today that the cops made a remarkable admission . . .

that Gray was mistakenly not placed in a seat belt in the back of the van.

At first glance it seems, with this admission, that the cops are signalling that there will be a thorough investigation.

IMO though, I think this admission is a calculated one that lays the groundwork for a defense that he was injured in the back of the van because he was handcuffed and shackled but not belted in and therefore not able to brace himself during transport.

Of course this would be an outrageous defense but if they are willing to make such an admission, what happened to the suspect on the ground before he was placed in the van has to have been really bad, therefore the attempt to shift attention from the pre-van tussle where several cops place their full body weight with knees to the back and neck of the suspect.

If you watch the video closely you can clearly see that one of the one of Gray's legs is broken and at an odd and unnatural angle when they hoist him up. Both legs are also limp and not supporting his weight.

These fu_ckers have had time to come up with a plan. It's always about getting the cops off — just like in Ferguson.

That has to be where the eventually fatal injury occurred and the cops have to know it to make the not-belted-in-mistake admission which potentially will yield less culpability than the suspect's neck being broken by a cop's knee to the back of the neck.