Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren suspended two staff members and fired the city’s chief of police over the handling of Daniel Prude’s death and the subsequent protests and riots that took place.
Warren announced that she fired Rochester Police Chief Le’Ron Singletary on Monday and ordered the suspension of her top attorney, Tim Curtin, and her communications director, Justin Roj. Singletary had already announced his resignation along with other top officials in the department earlier this month, but he had agreed to stay on with the department for the remainder of the month.
“This initial look has shown what so many have suspected, that we have a pervasive problem in the Rochester Police Department,” Warren said in a press conference. “One that views everything through the eyes of the badge and not the citizens we serve. It shows that Mr. Prude’s death was not taken as seriously as it should have been by those who reviewed the case throughout city government at every level.”
Prude, 41, was found running naked down the street in March when officers handcuffed him and placed a hood over his head to stop him from spitting. Officers held Prude on the ground for two minutes, and he stopped breathing. He died after several days in the hospital following the arrest.
His death received little media attention at the time, but that changed when his family released the body camera footage earlier this month. The footage prompted two weeks of protests, some of which devolved into riots.
Roj maintained that he did not know about Prude’s death until Aug. 4. He said that Singletary told him the mayor was already aware of the ongoing investigation.
“In hindsight, I agree I should have questioned the Chief further and/or taken the opportunity to discuss his email with the Mayor,” Roj said in a tweet posted Monday.
My statement regarding Mayor Warren’s actions today: pic.twitter.com/0w0QUE1WOi
— Justin Roj (@JustinRoj) September 14, 2020
When Singletary announced his resignation earlier this month, he claimed the city was trying to smear his name with criticisms of the department.
“As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character. The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity. The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for. The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude’s death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for,” Singletary said.
