Three of the six Baltimore police officers charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray have claimed they gave their statements under duress based on being afraid they were on the verge of being terminated.

Attorneys for Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and officer William Porter recently filed motions seeking to have their initial statements thrown out. Yahoo! News reports all three officers have been charged with manslaughter. The website adds two of the officers claimed they thought they were being interviewed as witnesses rather than suspects in Gray's killing, and a third contends she gave a statement without being read her Miranda rights, then was ordered to give a new statement five days later.

Attorneys for two of the other officers charged have also previously sought to have their client's earlier statements dismissed on the basis they too were not advised of their rights during interrogations.

Gray died of a neck injury believed to have been sustained while he rode in the back of a police van in April. His death sparked widespread outrage and protest across the city, resulting in the National Guard being called in to patrol city street corners.

State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's announcement of charges against the six officers quieted some tensions and generated applause among some in the majority-black city that has long been plagued by poverty, drugs and crime. Since Gray's death, The Justice Department has opened a civil-rights investigation into Baltimore police practices.

Officer Caesar Goodson, the driver of the van, has been charged with second-degree murder in Gray's death. Goodson is the only officer who did not give an initial statement early in the investigation and thus far attorneys for him haven't challenged the use of any of his statements in early proceedings.