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| Baltimore mayor sacks police chief months after riots | Baltimore mayor sacks police chief months after riots |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a "crime surge". | |
| Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period. | |
| The city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody. | |
| Six officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray. | Six officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray. |
| Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Batts had "served this city with distinction". | |
| But referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said "too many continue to die". | |
| "The focus has been too much on the leadership of the department and not enough on the crime fighting," she told reporters. | |
| Mr Batts had led the city's police force since October 2012. |