Freddie Gray: State of Emergency Declared As Baltimore Riots Spread

A state of emergency has been declared in the American city of Baltimore amid violent protests linked to the death of a black man, Freddie Gray, fatally injured in police custody.

A curfew to last through the week has been announced from 10.00pm to 5.00am of the next day and as many as 5,000 national guard troops could be deployed.

Public schools, businesses and train stations are to remain closed on today while a baseball game has been cancelled.

Monday’s clashes began hours after Freddie Gray’s funeral.

The disturbances broke out just a few blocks from the funeral of Freddie Gray and then spread through parts of Baltimore in the most violent U.S. demonstrations since looting in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

After more than an hour of mayhem, hundreds of police moved into glass-strewn streets where the worst of the violence had taken place and used pepper spray on rioters who had sacked check-cashing and liquor stores.

After dark, a community building that was under construction was engulfed in flames.

25-year-old African American, Freddie Gray, died on April 19 after a week in a coma.

Gray’s death reignited a public outcry over police treatment of African Americans that flared last year after the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, New York City and elsewhere.

The Justice Department is investigating exactly where and when Gray’s spinal injuries were sustained.

Meanwhile, officials have suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.