[ad_1]
Image copyright
We the People / GoFundMe
Daniel Prude died a week after police detained him
The New York attorney general has said a grand jury will be formed to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, an unarmed black man who suffocated after being detained by police.
Prude, who suffered from mental health problems, died after officers put him in a “spitting hood” designed to protect police from detainees’ saliva.
The protests took place after footage of the incident in Rochester surfaced.
Seven policemen have been suspended.
The 41-year-old died in March, however his death has just been reported.
Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement: “The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish. My office will move immediately to form a grand jury as part of our comprehensive investigation into this matter.”
The move has been well received by the Mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren, and the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. But a spokeswoman for the Rochester Police Department declined to comment.
Prude’s brother, Joe, told The New York Times: “I am ecstatic about this. But right now I am still waiting to see the indictment and to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
What happened to Daniel Prude?
Joe said he called the police on March 23 because Daniel was showing serious mental health problems. When the officers arrived, he was running naked through the streets.
In body camera footage obtained from the police by Mr. Prude’s family, he can be seen lying on the ground while officers pin him down. While sitting on the road, he fidgets and alternately asks for money or a gun.
Media playback is not supported by your device
He started spitting in the street, but does not appear to offer any physical resistance, according to the images. An officer says Prude told them she had Covid-19 and they put the hood on her to spit on.
An officer can be seen pressing Mr. Prude’s head with both hands, saying “stop spitting.” Prude stops moving and falls silent, and the officers notice that she feels cold.
Paramedics are called and Mr. Prude is taken to the hospital. His family took him off life support a week later.
The coroner ruled his death a homicide caused by “complications of suffocation within the framework of physical restraint”, with intoxication by the drug PCP, a contributing factor.
Image copyright
Reuters
The protests in Rochester have taken place every night after the release of the images.
Mayor Warren said the city police chief had not informed him of the case until early last month.
But Police Chief La’Ron Singletary denied that his department had been trying to keep details out of the public eye, and Michael Mazzaeo, president of the Rochester Police Locust Club, said officers had continued their training. “Step by Step”.
The officers were only sanctioned after the images were released, five months after Prude’s death. Protests in the city have taken place every night since the images were published.
Prude’s death occurred two months before that of George Floyd, whose murder while in police custody sparked widespread outrage and incited national and international demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
