Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Friday the Justice Department has launched an investigation of the Baltimore Police Department for a civil “pattern or practice” of excessive force that may have violated constitutional protections. On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake made a request for the probe, following the death of Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal cord injury sustained during an arrest on April 12 and whose death sparked rioting and protests in the city. Justice is also investigating the Baltimore police in criminal civil-rights probe related to the Gray case.
