New York Attorney General Leticia James said a grand jury voted against indicting the Rochester police officers involved in the March 2020 death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after police pinned him to the ground.
“We concluded that there was sufficient evidence surrounding Mr. Prude’s death to warrant presenting the case to a grand jury, and we presented the most comprehensive case possible,” James said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Prude, 41, was in the middle of a mental health crisis, and police were called to intervene. Following his encounter with police, Prude died a week later of asphyxiation. Only after footage was revealed of officers pinning him to the ground while handcuffed with a spit hood did James launch an investigation into the incident.
When the body camera footage was released to the public in September, it sparked protests and cover-up accusations.
“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,” her statement continued.
According to CNN, James said she will push for changes to New York state use-of-force laws and other reforms. Those include mandatory training on de-escalation techniques and how mental health and medical emergencies are handled.
“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 the U.S. Justice Department in a statement.
According to Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan, the officers involved in the incident will remain on leave until the police department’s internal investigation is completed.
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