President Trump attacked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren following a wave of police resignations amid an inquiry into the death of Daniel Prude.
“Police Chief, and most of the police in Rochester, N.Y., have resigned,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday. “The Democrat Mayor and, of courses, Governor Cuomo, have no idea what to do. New York State is a mess – No Money, High Taxes & Crime, Everyone Fleeing. November 3rd. We can fix it!”
Police Chief, and most of the police in Rochester, N.Y., have resigned. The Democrat Mayor and, of courses, Governor Cuomo, have no idea what to do. New York State is a mess – No Money, High Taxes & Crime, Everyone Fleeing. November 3rd. We can fix it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2020
Police Chief La’Ron Singletary. as well as the entire command staff of the Rochester Police Department. resigned on Tuesday.
“Outside entities attempt to destroy my character,” Singletary said in a statement announcing he was leaving his role, adding, “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.”
On March 23, Joe Prude, the brother of Daniel Prude, called the police because his brother was having a mental health episode and was under the influence of PCP. The video of the interaction with law enforcement was released by his family’s attorneys last week as they prepare for a civil lawsuit.
When police found Daniel Prude, he was naked. The officers directed him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back, and he followed the instructions. At one point, an officer put a spit sock over Prude’s head, which is used when law enforcement officers want to prevent someone from spitting or biting. Prude claimed he had the coronavirus.
The video appears to show Prude attempting to get up before officers move in to hold him down. A few minutes later, officers became concerned with Prude’s condition, and he was given chest compressions. When Prude was loaded into an ambulance, he appeared to be nonresponsive. He died a few days later.
There have been protests in Rochester since the video was released, some of which have turned violent, following a recent trend of civil unrest since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, which has sparked nationwide conversations about policing and law enforcement’s treatment of minorities.
Prior to his resignation, Singletary denied that there was any type of cover-up after Prude’s death.
