The family of Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man who died after being detained by Rochester, New York police, will receive $12 million per a settlement with the city, NBC News reports.
On Thursday (October 6), the city of Rochester announced the $12 million settlement but did not admit any wrongdoing in the 2020 death of Prude.
Prude died in March 2020 after being handcuffed by Rochester police, who put a "spit hood" over his head.
Mayor Malik Evans said the settlement was the best decision "given the costs of continued litigation."
"It would have cost taxpayers even more to litigate, and would have placed a painful toll on our community," 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."
Police restrained Prude on March 23, 2020, after his brother, Joe Prude, called authorities for help while the 41-year-old was having a mental health episode.
When officers arrived at the scene, Daniel Prude, who was naked, immediately complied with their commands to lie on the ground facedown and to put his hands behind his back.
Video of the incident shows Prude speaking incoherently and telling the officers to take note of his genitals.
The 41-year-old repeatedly asked for a gun, per the video released by the family.
At one point during the video, officers pushed Prude to the ground and placed a knee on his back after he sat up and again asked for a gun.
Prude can be heard whimpering in the video as officers joked with paramedics.
When police noticed that Prude was limp and nonresponsive, paramedics were called over to administer CPR.
He died in a hospital days after the incident, with a medical examiner ruling his cause of death as "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint" — The drug PCP was also listed as a contributing factor.
Last year, a New York grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved.
Seven officers were suspended with pay, but only one faced departmental charges following an internal investigation.
Officer Mark Vaughn was cited for "unnecessary or excessive force and discourteous/unprofessional conduct," the department said last year, per NBC News.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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