Rochester officer in Prude death served 'departmental charges'

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Police Department says it has served an serviceman progressive successful the decease of Daniel Prude with “departmental charges.”

According to a property merchandise obtained by WHAM and Reuters, serviceman Mark Vaughn was charged connected Thursday successful transportation with his relation successful the March 2020 incident, wherever constabulary held Prude down bare and handcuffed connected a metropolis thoroughfare until helium stopped breathing. It's unclear astatine this clip what the "departmental charges" entail.

“The section afloat supports serviceman Vaughn’s close to owed process and to support himself against the charges, of which nary pre-determined result has been enactment successful place. A ceremonial proceeding volition beryllium scheduled successful the future,” wrote the department.

No different officers person been charged successful the matter.

WHAM reports that Prude was precocious connected PCP erstwhile constabulary encountered him bare aft his member called for help, saying his sibling was experiencing a intelligence wellness crisis. After helium was restrained by officers, Prude reportedly mislaid consciousness and was taken to a hospital, wherever helium died days later.

The region aesculapian examiner listed Prude’s mode of decease arsenic a homicide, and helium died of asphyxiation.

The decease of the 41-year-old Black antheral sparked nightly protests successful the upstate New York metropolis aft video of the incidental was released months later. That video showed serviceman Vaughn putting a spit sock implicit Prude's head, WHAM reports.

This past February, a expansive assemblage announced that it would not question charges against the officers progressive successful the incident.

The constabulary section says it remains committed to betterment efforts and taking indispensable enactment to guarantee spot and transparency with the assemblage it’s sworn to serve.

Police accidental they’ve taken steps successful the past 17 months to amended its policies, including launching a situation involution team, caller serviceman grooming programs, and ceremonial protestation effect plans. The section says it besides released 4 revised serviceman policies that went into effect earlier this year, called “duty to intervene, chokehold ban, intelligence hygiene detention and de-escalation.”

The section says it’s besides revising its usage of unit policies and the changes volition spell into effect pursuing ceremonial serviceman grooming this fall.