NO CHARGES FOR COPS IN DEATH OF N.Y. MAN

A grand jury declined to indict New York police in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man whom officers pinned to the ground last year while he was handcuffed, hooded and in the throes of a mental health crisis.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the decision Tuesday while calling for criminal justice reforms to hold police accountable and decrying “a system that at its core is broken.” She said she was disappointed in the outcome of the high-profile case, which thrust Rochester, N.Y., into the national spotlight last fall.

Prude’s death sparked outrage after his family released graphic footage of his arrest, and the case fueled already intense scrutiny of police use of force against Black Americans as well as their approach to mental health calls. “You’re trying to kill me!” Prude said in the video of his arrest, which took place a week before he died last March.

Police had covered Prude’s head with a controversial “spit hood” intended to shield officers from bodily fluids, and experts say officers neglected to use known tactics for helping people in crisis. A medical examiner eventually ruled Prude’s death a homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.”

James called Tuesday at a news conference for better training for law enforcement, including mandatory de-escalation training for all police officers in New York.

Video of the 41-year-old Prude’s arrest, released after a monthslong legal battle, roiled Rochester with protests, leading officials to open multiple investigations and triggering the suspensions of seven police officers.

The Rochester police union president has defended the officers who arrested Prude, saying they appeared to follow protocol and urging changes to procedure if necessary.