One of the officers among the six charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray was greeted with a hug when he arrived at the Baltimore police station for formal booking, and at least three of them were taken into custody without so much as being handcuffed.

Such ongoing developments have many activists angrily contending Baltimore police are granting special treatment to their own as the investigation into the still-maddening riddle of what happened to the 25-year-old Gray while he was in police custody continues to unfold.

The Baltimore Sun reports officers Caesar Goodson Jr., Edward Nero and William Porter, each facing charges ranging from second degree murder to reckless endangerment, all arrived at Central Booking unshackled.

Goodson faces the most serious second-degree depraved heart indifference charge, which could land him behind bars for up to 30 years. He is the officer seen on video being embraced by an unidentified man as he arrives at intake for processing.

Gray died of a severe spinal cord injury after being taken into custody on the morning of April 12. He never regained consciousness after arriving at the police station unresponsive.

"It further illustrates why there is such a level of distrust with law enforcement here," activist Dayvon Love said of the community's reaction to the news. "It shows the power of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Department. There is no other explanation that would make sense."

All six officers, including fellow suspects Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer Garrett Miller, are now free on bail. Through it all, department officials have steadfastly denied granting any sort of special treatment to their fallen colleagues.

"While an individual turning himself in is not a regular occurrence, it is not unusual when an agreement is made between attorneys, the office of the state's attorney and the department for individuals to turn themselves in to a predetermined location where they will then be taken into custody," said Lt. Sarah Connolly, a spokeswoman for the department.

She later added stressed members of the department had closely worked with representatives for the officers to facilitate the surrenders. Defense attorneys are now focusing their attention on trying to have the case moved out of the area of Maryland, insisting the officers can't get a "fair and impartial" trial in the Baltimore area.