Rochester Mayor Lovely Rochester apologized today to the family of Daniel Prude for his death...saying "we failed Mr Prude on Many Levels."
The mayor says she did not learn until August 4th how Daniel Prude died, after being restrained by police. She says she was told he died of a drug overdose while in police custody and the case was being investigated. She says she learned only on August 4th from the city's Law Office what had happened when THEY reviewed the body camera tapes...and she says she let the lawyers talk her out of announcing it right then. She says she's sorry for that....and she says she's suspending immediately the seven officers who were on scene when Prude was forced to the pavement, before he lost consciousness and stopped breathing. She says she expects to be sued as a result, just as she was when she suspended the officers involved in the Christopher Pate case.
Warren says she has told Police Chief La'Ron Singletary of her disappointment that vital facts were left out of what she was told. She says she's taken steps to prevent that from happening again.
Mayor Warren said the Chief has been ordered to provide her immediately with body cam footage and all related materials whenever police use of force is involved She also says she's asking for a plan within 30 days to deal with how the city handles mental health calls, which was how Daniel Prude originally came to police attention.
And Mayor Warren has called for charges to be dropped against the nine Black Lives Matter protesters who were arrested yesterday at the Public Safety Building for trying to enter her news conference.
Mayor Warren says she has now reached out to the Prude family and Black Lives Matter.