REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON -- Maryland governor Larry Hogan Monday evening declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to address the escalating violence and unrest in Baltimore City following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody.
The University of Maryland has shut down its Baltimore campus, hours after funeral ceremony on Monday for Freddie Gray, a 25-year old African-American man who died in police custody week ago in Baltimore, the largest city in U.S. State of Maryland.
The city's police department announced earlier Monday that they have obtained information indicating a "credible threat" that local gangs were targeting police officers and it was not clear if the threat to officers was directly tied to the concern for safety at the school.
The campus shut down at the recommendation of the police department, the school said in a statement, saying that "the safety of our students and employees is of paramount importance please vacate the campus as soon as possible."
Monday morning, the funeral of Freddie Gray drew was held at a local church amid march of thousands of protesters that has developed into a riot afterwards.
On CNN TV report, dozens of people could be seen throwing objects at police, resulting minor hurts of several police officers during the riot near a mall in northwest Baltimore.
Gray's death on April 19 while in police custody set off a week of protests. Most of the protest were quiet, until Saturday night.
Protesters marched in Baltimore Saturday to bring attention to the suspicious and fatal chain of events surrounding Gray's arrest by Baltimore police on April 12.
It's suspected that Gray incurred a severe spinal cord injury during his ride to a police precinct. It has been reported that Gray requested and was denied emergency medical care before dying a week later in a Baltimore hospital.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said Saturday night that the protesters has become violent and began to throw objects.
So far, a number of police patrol cars were smashed and at least seven police officers suffered minor injuries, CNN reported, while 34 people were arrested.
Batts said some residents moved between police and the angry crowd, urging the protesters not to damage the city. He commended police officers for showing "tremendous restraint" and city residents for helping tamp down the unrest.
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