BALTIMORE - The latest on the trial of a Baltimore police officer who is charged with manslaughter in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who was injured in the back of a police transport van (all times local).

4:50 p.m.

One of William Porter's fellow officers is testifying that he has never seen colleagues seat belt prisoners, even though it is department policy.

Matthew Wood testified at Porter's trial Thursday. Porter faces manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges stemming from the death of Freddie Gray. Gray suffered a broken neck in the back of the transport wagon.

Wood was present at two of six stops the van made. Wood told jurors that during the second stop, when Gray was placed in leg shackles, he heard Gray banging around in the back of the van and saw the wagon shake back and forth.

Prosecutors say Porter is partially responsible for not buckling Gray into a seat belt at the van's fourth stop and for failing to call a medic immediately after Gray indicated he needed aid. Porter says Gray was uninjured when he helped the man off the floor of the wagon and onto the bench during the van's fourth stop. He said it was the wagon driver's responsibility to buckle Gray in.

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2:45 p.m.

One of Officer William Porter's colleagues is testifying at his manslaughter trial in the death of Freddie Gray.

Officer Mark Gladhill is the sixth defence witness to testify on behalf of Porter. Prosecutors say Porter was criminally negligent because he didn't call a medic when Gray indicated he needed aid and he didn't buckle Gray into a seat belt at the van's fourth stop.

At that stop, Porter testified that he helped Gray from the floor of the wagon to the bench, and didn't call a medic because Gray didn't show any signs of injury or distress. He also said Gray could use his legs and support his own weight.

Prosecutors say that by the fourth stop, Gray had already suffered the spinal injury that eventually killed him.

Gladhill responded to the van's fifth stop. He testified Thursday that he saw Gray in the back of the van with his head and back up. Medical experts for the defence have testified that would have been impossible if Gray had already broken his neck.

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1:10 p.m.

The Charlottesville, Virginia, police chief and a 35-year veteran of law enforcement has testified that Officer William Porter did almost all he could do on the day Freddie Gray was arrested and injured in Baltimore.

Chief Timothy Longo was the defence's fifth witness is the trial of Porter, one of six police officers charged in Gray's death. He was asked by a defence attorney whether there was any more Porter could have done and he said no.

But on rapid-fire cross-examination by a prosecutor, Longo said he supposes the officer could have gotten on the radio and called for a medic.

Longo also said van driver Caesar Goodson was ultimately responsible to make sure Gray was belted in because Gray was in his custody.

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11:15 a.m.

A neurosurgeon testifying on behalf of a Baltimore police officer charged with manslaughter says Freddie Gray's broken neck could not have occurred the way the state autopsy report concluded.

Washington, D.C., neurosurgeon Matthew Ammerman was an expert witness Thursday at Officer William Porter's trial.

Grey suffered a spinal cord injury while riding, handcuffed and shackled, in the back of a police van. Prosecutors say Gray was injured by the van's fourth stop, when Porter lifted Gray from the wagon floor to the bench, but didn't call a medic even though Gray indicated he needed aid. Porter testified that Gray was alert, appeared uninjured and could use his legs and support his own weight — proof that he hadn't yet suffered the spinal cord injury that killed him.

Ammerman says the "catastrophic injury" would have immediately paralyzed Gray's ability to breathe, speak and use his limbs. He says it must have occurred after Porter's last interaction with Gray, at stop five when Gray was still able to speak, and before the prisoner was found unconscious at the last stop.

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9:30 a.m.

A small group of demonstrators has gathered outside the Baltimore Circuit Court for the trial of William Porter, one of six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died a week after being injured in the back of a police transport van.

A handful of protesters held signs Thursday morning. One banner read, "Jobs and Education, Not Police Terror" and "Black Lives Matter."

The defence continues its case Thursday. Prosecutors rested their case earlier this week after 16 witnesses and five days of testimony.

Porter himself took the stand Wednesday to try and convince jurors he did nothing wrong. Prosecutors say Porter is partially responsible for Gray's death for failing to call a medic when Gray indicated he needed help, and for not buckling the man into a seat belt.

Porter faces manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges.

He testified that he told the van driver, Caesar Goodson, to take Gray to the hospital but Gray didn't appear injured when Porter saw him during the van's fourth stop. Porter also said it was Goodson's responsibility to make sure Gray was buckled in.

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4:20 a.m.

More witnesses are scheduled to testify in the defence of one of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the black man who died after suffering a spinal injury in the back of a police transport van.

Officer William Porter, who is also black, faces manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges stemming from Gray's death.

Prosecutor say Porter is partially responsible for not calling for a medic when Gray indicated he needed aid, and for failing to buckle Gray into a seat belt.

Porter took the stand for more than four hours Wednesday. He told jurors he didn't call a medic because when he saw Gray, Gray wasn't injured. He also said it's the van driver's responsibility to make sure prisoners in custody are buckled in. Porter wasn't driving the van.

Trial resumes Thursday.

News from © The Associated Press, 2015