*Daniel Prude, a Black man, died at the hands of Rochester police after they held him down on the road for two minutes and put a “spit hood” over his head, designed to protect members of law enforcement from a detainee’s saliva.
Now the city has reached a $12 million settlement with the family, the mayor announced Thursday, ABC News reports.
The settlement is the largest of its kind in Rochester’s history. The payout comes two years after Pride’s death, which sparked calls for police reform.
“Given the costs of continued litigation, this settlement was the best decision. It would have cost taxpayers even more to litigate, and would have placed a painful toll on our community,” Rochester Mayer Malik Evans said in a statement. “It is now time to look forward so we may work together and focus our efforts on Rochester’s future.”
READ MORE: Killer Cops Get Away Clean … Again! NY Prosecutors Won’t Charge Police in Daniel Prude Case
We reported previously that the incident took place in March 2020 but only came to light six months later when the family released police bodycam footage. In a news conference at the time, the brother of Prude said he called Rochester police on March 23 to report that Daniel was having acute mental health problems and running naked through the streets in light snow. Prude, a warehouse worker from Chicago and father of five, was visiting his brother, Joe Prude, at the time. Bodycam footage obtained by the family shows the victim unarmed as officers restrained him on the ground.
In the video, Daniel Prude is seen to comply immediately when officers arrived and ordered him to lie on the ground with his hands behind his back. Once he was restrained, Prude told officers that he had COVID-19. Police then placed a “spit hood” over his head. Prude demands they remove it. The officers then slam Prude’s head into the street. One officer holds his head down against the pavement with both hands, saying “stop spitting” as Prude’s shouts turn to whimpers and grunts.
Another officer places a knee on his back. The officers appear to become concerned when they notice water coming out of Prude’s mouth. After Prude stops writhing and goes quiet, one officer can be heard saying, “He feels pretty cold.”
Medics try to revive him before he’s carried into an ambulance. When he arrived at the hospital 15 minutes later, he was brain dead, Joe Prude said. He was taken off life support on March 30.
A New York grand jury declined to issue any charges against Rochester police officers for their role in the death of Prude. The New York Attorney General’s office released a comprehensive report on Prude’s interactions with police leading up to his death. It included their reason for using a “spit hood” — to “prevent Covid transmission.”
Prude’s son, Nathaniel McFarland, sued the city and six Rochester police officers for wrongful death and civil rights violations. On Thursday, a federal judge approved the terms of the settlement, which will go to Prude’s five children.
“Nothing can ever truly compensate me and my siblings for the killing of our father by the Rochester police,” McFarland said in a statement. “Resolving this case is a step in the right direction. My family needs to heal, and communities need to know that there will be at least some accountability when police kill people like my dad, whose only crime was needing help.”
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