The head of the Rochester police union has said that officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude were following their training 'step by step'. Prude, 41, died in March after a spit hood was placed over his head during an arrest.
Michael Mazzeo, president of the Locust Club police union, stated on Friday that the seven officers appeared to adhere to guidelines. 'To me, it looks like they were watching the training in front of them and doing step by step what the training says to do,' he said.
Prude, who was black, was naked and running through the streets of Rochester in the early hours of March 23. He had taken the drug PCP and was ranting at officers, claiming he had coronavirus and asking for their guns. Body camera footage shows an officer placing a spit hood over his head because he was spitting. He was then held face-first on the ground with an officer's knee on his back. After paramedics arrived, he fell unconscious and died in hospital seven days later.
Prude's brother Joe had earlier told officers that Daniel was hallucinating and suicidal. He had arrived from Chicago on March 22 and was taken to hospital after a paranoid episode, but was released after a few hours. He then ran out of his brother's home barefoot and in minimal clothing before the police encounter.
Mazzeo said officers 'absolutely' need more help dealing with mentally ill or drug-affected individuals, noting that police are often the only agency available after mental health facilities were closed. The footage was released by the family five months after the incident following an open-records request.
