(CNN) – Baltimore officials knew protests could erupt the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral but were overwhelmed by the riots that followed.
Those are some of the details found in 7,000 pages of government emails the city released Monday. The documents were turned over after a public records request by CNN.
Violence engulfed Baltimore on April 27, the day of Gray’s funeral. The 25-year-old Baltimore man died in police custody after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while riding in a police van.
What started as largely peaceful protests in the days leading up to the funeral devolved into assaults on police, looting, arson and the devastation of businesses.
The emails reflect, in part, what then-Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told CNN in early May.