HOOD HORROR
Video of black man suffocating in US police arrest sparks fury
VIDEO of police placing a hood over a naked black man’s head before he stopped breathing has sparked further unrest in the US.
The newly surfaced footage shows officers detaining Daniel Prude, 41, and pressing his face into the ground until he passes out.
Daniel was left brain dead and died when he was taken off life support on March 30 – seven days after the incident with police in Rochester, New York.
The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, excited delirium [and] acute phencyclidine [PCP] intoxication”.
Police were called on March 23 by Daniel’s brother, Joe, who was concerned about his sibling’s mental health.
He had left his brother’s home moments earlier wearing only long underwear, a vest and socks, and then stripped naked. Police claimed he had been smashing windows before officers found him.
In the police bodycam footage, an officer draws his Taser and orders Daniel to lie on the ground and put his hands behind his back.
The officer then handcuffs him as he
lies stark naked on his stomach on the snow-covered ground.
Three minutes after the incident begins, an officer puts a bag over Daniel’s head after he attempts to spit at police, allegedly telling them he had Covid-19.
He is heard shouting incoherently: “Jesus Christ” and “Give me your gun, I need it”. He demands the police remove the spit hood, saying, “trying to kill me”, before mumbling incoherently.
For more than two minutes, officers pin him on the ground. An officer uses both hands to push his head into the pavement, in a press-up position.
Another officer uses a knee to hold his torso down, and a third holds his legs.
The officers appear concerned when they notice water coming out of his mouth before he falls unresponsive.
After the release of the film, protesters took to the streets of Rochester on Wednesday and clashed with police.
Officers made nine arrests after using pepper spray to disperse demonstrators.
Daniel’s family are calling for the firing and arrest of the officers. Joe said: “I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched.”
Lawyer Elliot Shields said they were filing a wrongful death suit. He said the family were waiting for the body camera footage before speaking out.
Daniel died just weeks before officers killed George Floyd in Minneapolis by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes.
There was further unrest two weeks ago after officers in Kenosha,Wisconsin, shot black man Jacob Blake seven times.
I placed a phone call to police for my brother to get help... Not for him to get lynched
JOE PRUDE DANIEL’S BROTHER, WHOSE FAMILY ARE SUING THE POLICE OFFICERS