Rochester – And again, US police officers are suspected of being responsible for the death of a black man. Daniel Prude, 41, passed away on March 30 in Rochester, New York. But only now is the case causing a stir. On Wednesday, his family posted video from a police body camera showing the cruelty with which police officers treated the African-American from Chicago.
The video shows a naked black man on the street. At first he followed the instructions of the police officers. He sat down on the ground and was handcuffed behind his back. But then he turned, screamed, and spat.
Later, the police put a protective hood to spit on his head. When Prude asked the officers to remove her hood, they hit her on the head in the street.
According to the AP news agency, an officer pressed the 41-year-old man to the ground with both hands and yelled “Stop spitting” as Prude huffed and moaned. Another policeman put a knee on his back.
Daniel Prude lay in the street with his arms outstretched.Photo: KameraOne, Rochester Police Department
Then Prude was suddenly silent, not moving anymore. “It’s quite cold,” said one of the policemen. Rescue teams tried to resuscitate him on the way to the clinic.
The case occurred on March 23. A week later, Prude’s life support measures were stopped.
Like the newspaper “Democrat and Chronicle “ reported, the preliminary autopsy report mentions murder by suffocation. The attorney general’s investigation into the case is still ongoing.
Attorneys for the family received the 88-minute video footage after a request on August 20.
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Daniel Prude suffered from mental problems
Her family suspects that Prude was under the influence of the hallucinogen PCP. The 41-year-old man suffered from mental problems. The deaths of his mother and two brothers traumatized him, said his aunt Letoria Moore.
Prude had traveled to Rochester from Chicago to visit her brother Joe. Joe also called the police because his brother ran out of the house confused.
“I made the call so my brother could get help, not to get lynched,” he said at the press conference.
It was also announced that Joe Prude had already alerted the police on March 22 after his brother jumped headfirst down the stairs. Later, Daniel Prude was examined in the hospital for his mental state and released at night.
The pain for the 41-year-old man is great. The citizens deposited flowers and candlesPhoto: Adrian Kraus / AP Photo / dpa
Police building raided – arrests
During protests on Wednesday, activists called for the expulsion of the police. The seven agents who were present in the operation were only suspended on Thursday. Some of these policemen can be seen in the video. According to Mayor Lovelyn Warren, the others had an obligation to stop the operation.
The police used pepper spray against the protesters. Temporary arrests were made after citizens broke into the public security building, which also houses the police headquarters.
The Daniel Prude drama occurred two months before the death of African American George Floyd in late May. Floyd died in a brutal police operation. Since then, there have been regular protests against police violence and racism in the US and new cases of police violence.
On August 23, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, African American Jacob Blake was seriously injured by gunshots in the back. Just Monday, the Los Angeles police shot and killed African American Dijon Kizzee. Officers shot the 29-year-old at least 14 times.
Photo: KameraOne, Rochester Police Department
Photo: KameraOne, Rochester Police Department
Photo: Adrian Kraus / AP Photo / dpa