Police officers and other city staffers have filed 169 workers compensation claims with city government, reporting various injuries, after the city descended into rioting on April 27, hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The city expects to pay out $1.7 million, according to Bob Cenname, Baltimore’s deputy budget director. Police have reported that 113 officers were injured during that time. Cenname said some officers might be out of work for an extended time.
According to the Sun article, the costs are among an estimated $20 million the rioting is expected to cost taxpayers. Officials are temporarily covering the costs with money from the city’s rainy day fund while seeking reimbursement for up to 75 percent from Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Gray, 25, died after suffering a severe spinal cord injury in police custody. The Governor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to help keep order after the riots broke out. The violence that day began with students throwing rocks at police, but then exploded into looting and fires throughout Baltimore.
City officials reported that more than 380 businesses were damaged, and 61 buildings burned.
