An announcement was made by New York Attorney General Letitia James that she will be forming the grand jury to be part of an “exhaustive investigation” into the police killing Daniel Prude.
It was in March that Prude lost his life, after he was covered by a spit hood by a Rochester police officer, who suffocated Prude for two minutes. He died about a week later.
The medical examiner’s report cites “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint,” as the cause of death. The report also notes that “excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP” was a contributing factor.
In April, the officers were cleared by the police department’s internal investigation which concluded that the “actions and conduct displayed when dealing with Prude appear to be appropriate and consistent with their training.”
“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
Joe Prude, Daniel’s brother, was the one who called the police stating that he was concerned about his brother’s well-being as he was expressing suicidal thoughts and he was just released from the hospital.
When police went to look for Prude, they found him naked on the street. They then handcuffed him and pressed his head against the pavement as he was covered with a hood. The incident was filmed and the video sparked considerable outrage across the country.
Since the attorney general’s office sometimes takes up cases related to deaths of unarmed individuals in police custody, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked James to expedite the probe earlier this week.
“Today, I applaud Attorney General Tish James for taking swift, decisive action in empaneling a grand jury,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Justice delayed is justice denied and the people of New York deserve the truth.”
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, are being asked to resign by a few residents. Since Wednesday, protestors have been marching every day and have pointed out that the police are not able to handle people with mental health issues and are demanding for more accountability.
© 2020, Jonathan P-Wright. All rights reserved.
