Protests have erupted in upstate New York after a newly surfaced video revealed how a 41-year-old handcuffed black man died of asphyxiation in March after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the ground until he stopped breathing.
Daniel Prude, 41, was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30 when he was taken off of life support – seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester.
His brother had phoned for assistance because he was suffering a mental health episode He had walked out of his brother’s house at around 3am in frigid temperatures, wearing only long underwear, a tank top and socks. As he made his way through the neighborhood, he started removing his clothes. Police claim he also smashed windows. Several other people who encountered him called 911 to report his erratic behavior.
Prude was then stopped by Officer Mark Vaughn from the Rochester PD. Vaughn, pointing a taser, ordered him to lay on the ground and put his hands behind his back, to which he complied. Officer Vaughn then handcuffed Prude as he lay on his stomach. Prude spat, yelled and told the cops that he had COVID-19. They put a hood over his head then laughed at him while he screamed profanities at them.
It turned violent when he attempted to get to his feet. Then, three of the cops pushed him into the cold ground and held him down for more than three minutes while he screamed. The cops only became worried when they noticed fluid seeping out of his mouth. By then, he was unconscious.
Prude was taken to the hospital and placed on life support but he died seven days later. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by ‘complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, excited delirium [and] acute phencyclidine [PCP] intoxication.’
While the fatal incident occurred on March 23 – weeks before George Floyd would die in Minnesota police custody in May, sparking nationwide protests – Prude’s death received no public attention.
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