New York not to indict police involving Daniel Prude's death in early 2020

Source: Xinhua| 2021-02-24 17:21:36|Editor: huaxia
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NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A grand jury voted not to indict any police officer on charges related to the death of African American man Daniel Prude in March 2020 during his encounter with police in Rochester city, according to an announcement by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday.

Prude was in the throes of a mental health crisis and the most comprehensive case has been presented to a grand jury, James said.

"The current laws on deadly force have created a system that utterly and abjectly failed Mr. Prude and so many others before him. Serious reform is needed, not only at the Rochester Police Department, but to our criminal justice system as a whole," said James, who is the first African-American and the first woman elected to the position.

"I will be pursuing a multifaceted approach to address the very issues that have prevented us from holding officers accountable when they improperly use deadly force," she said.

James urged the public to "respect this decision" despite feelings of injustice or disappointment.

She also issued five recommendations to the Rochester Police Department to address concerns on handling of mental health crisis.

A judge granted James' motion to unseal and publicly released the grand jury minutes related to the investigation of Prude's death, according to James' announcement.

"We intend to review the comprehensive report issued by the New York State Attorney General, as well as any other relevant materials, and will determine whether any further federal response is warranted," said a statement by U.S. Justice Department officials on Tuesday.

Aged 41, Prude died of asphyxiation after he was pinned to the ground while he was handcuffed with a mesh hood over his head.

Rochester police arrested Prude in the early hours of March 23, 2020 while responding to one 911 call made by Prude's brother, who intended to help Prude.

The release of police body camera footage of Prude's arrest in last September resulted in days of protests against polie.

Prude's death bore similarities to that of George Floyd, who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. Enditem

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