Daniel Prude

People

Daniel Prude

Outcome

unknown

On March 23, 2020, Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man from Chicago, was restrained by Rochester, New York police officers and died seven days later from asphyxiation. Prude's family had called 911 seeking help for him during a mental health crisis. Officers found Prude naked and kneeling in the street at approximately 3:15 AM in freezing temperatures. After Prude complied with commands to lie on his stomach and was handcuffed, he began spitting at officers. Police placed a "spit hood" over his head, a mesh bag designed to protect officers from bodily fluids. Body camera footage showed officers restraining Prude by pushing his head into the pavement and pressing a knee into his back for more than three minutes. Prude can be heard saying he could not breathe. He stopped moving and was later found to have no pulse. Emergency responders removed the spit hood and performed CPR. Prude was taken to the hospital, where he was placed on life support. His family took him off life support on March 30, 2020, and he died. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint," with excited delirium and PCP intoxication as contributing factors. The case remained hidden from the public for nearly six months until body camera footage was released in September 2020. The revelation sparked protests in Rochester and calls for police reform. Mayor Lovely Warren suspended seven officers involved. Amnesty International condemned the use of spit hoods, noting they are particularly dangerous for people in distress. A grand jury declined to indict any officers in February 2021. Prude's death highlighted critical failures in using police to respond to mental health emergencies, becoming a key example in calls for alternative crisis response systems.