Daniel Prude death: Grand jury votes not to indict Rochester officers

CNN — A grand jury voted not to indict any officers in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after police pinned him to the ground in March, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday. James said earlier that 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 the attorney general, who started an investigation of the case in April. Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who are representing Prude’s family, said they’re “deeply disappointed that the officers will not face criminal charges for killing Daniel Prude during what was clearly a mental health crisis as he lay naked in the cold streets with a spit hood they placed over his head.” “This tragedy could have been avoided if officers had been properly trained but also used basic human decency and common sense to treat Mr. Prude with compassion and get him the medical attention he deserved,” the attorneys said in a statement. “We will continue to advocate for justice in the civil courts, while In a statement, the US Justice Department said: “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.” Attorney urges city to push reforms, not punish officers The officers involved in the Prude case will remain on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan said in a statement via Twitter. The former police chief, La’Ron Singletary, said earlier this month that he didn’t see anything “egregious” or any criminal conduct from police officers when he first watched body camera video of the incident.