Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-15 Sept 2020

A28 u.s. news
Diamars 15 september 2020

Rochester police chief out in fallout over Prude death

stay on through the end of life support. happened along the way, in-
the month. His death has sparked nearly cluding my own,” Warren
Instead, Warren said at a news two weeks of nightly pro- said. “As mayor, I own these
conference that she had per- tests and calls for Warren's failures.”
manently relieved him while resignation after his relatives Prude’s family has filed a
suspending Corporation released police body camera federal lawsuit alleging the
Counsel Tim Curtin and video and written reports police department sought to
Communications Director they obtained through a pub- cover up the true nature of
Justin Roj without pay for lic records request. Warren Prude’s death, starting with
30 days following a cursory said the review had produced what Warren said was Single-
management review of the eight recommendations, in- tary reporting to her early on
city's role in Prude's death. cluding that the city’s Office that Prude had an apparent
“This initial look has shown of Public Integrity investigate drug overdose. In announc-
what so many have suspect- whether she or any other em- ing his retirement Sept. 8, the
ed, that we have a pervasive ployees violated city policies outgoing chief accused critics
problem in the Rochester or ethical standards. The re- of trying to “destroy my char-
Police Department,” Warren view by Deputy Mayor James acter and integrity.”
said. “One that views every- Smith also recommended Roj said he accepted his sus-
thing through the eyes of the that the U.S. Justice Depart- pension, but claimed he was
badge and not the citizens ment conduct a review of not aware of what happened
we serve. It shows that Mr. the Rochester Police Depart- to Prude until Aug. 4. He
Prude’s death was not taken ment, including a review of said Singletary told him in an
as seriously as it should have all body-worn camera foot- email of an ongoing crimi-
been by those who reviewd age for use-of-force arrests nal investigation and that the
the case throughout city gov- over the past three years. mayor was already informed.
ernment at every level.” Warren said she would move
forward with those and the “In hindsight, I agree I should
Officers found Prude run- other recommendations, have questioned the Chief
ning naked down the street in which include having outside further and/or taken the op-
(AP) — Rochester Mayor Prude. March, handcuffed him and agencies review police train- portunity to discuss his email
Lovely Warren fired the po- put a hood over his head to ing manuals and Freedom of with the Mayor,” Roj said in a
lice chief and suspended her Chief Le’Ron Singletary stop him from spitting, then Information Law procedures. statement posted on Twitter.
top lawyer and communica- announced his retirement held him down for about Curtin could not be reached
tions director Monday in the last week as part of a major two minutes until he stopped “I have apologized to the by phone to comment on his
continuing upheaval over the shakeup of the city’s police breathing. He died a week Prude family and this com- suspension.
suffocation death of Daniel leadership but said he would later after he was taken off munity for the failures that

Texas officer charged with assault in fatal 2019 shooting

(AP) — A Texas police officer has pregnant.” Moments later, something shooting. asked in a statement for the commu-
been charged with assault for fatally flashes as she reaches her arm out to- nity to maintain trust in the legal pro-
shooting a woman after a struggle ward the officer. Suddenly, Delacruz The charge against Delacruz comes cess and its police as the case proceeds
over the officer's stun gun last year, pulls away and fires five gunshots. after months of protests over racism . He did not answer questions about
prosecutors announced Monday. Police in the Houston suburb said the and police violence in cities across Delacruz's employment status or the
A Harris County grand jury indict- Hispanic officer shot Turner during the country following the death of internal affairs investigation into the
ed Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz an attempted arrest after she shocked George Floyd in May. Floyd, who shooting.
Monday for shooting Pamela Turner him with his Taser. Court records was Black and grew up in Houston, Delacruz, who has been with the
in the parking lot of an apartment showed three outstanding misde- died after a white Minneapolis police Baytown police department since
complex where they both lived in meanor warrants against Turner at officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s 2008, did not face any disciplinary ac-
May 2019. the time. neck for several minutes while he was tion after the shooting, Cagle said.
Delacruz was charged with aggravat- handcuffed on the ground. Jacob said the department returning
ed assault by a public servant, a felony Delacruz was defending himself Delacruz to duty was an act of “delib-
that could lead to a sentence of five when he shot Turner, Cagle said. Baytown police Lt. Steve Dorris erate indifference.”
years to life in prison if he's convict- “When someone takes a police of-
ed. Prosecutors said he'll be given the ficer’s taser and then uses it against
chance to turn himself in. them, the officer is left with no op-
tions other than deadly force. That’s
Harris County District Attorney Kim how the officers are trained,” he said.
Ogg, on Monday called Turner’s Ben Crump, a lawyer for Turner's
death a tragedy. family, said last year that she was not
“It is important to acknowledge that pregnant but had been diagnosed
her family and the community are in with paranoid schizophrenia. He said
pain,” said Ogg, who is up for reelec- Delacruz knew his neighbor suffered
tion in November. Greg Cagle, Dela- from mental illness and shot her from
cruz's attorney, said he believed the a “safe distance” away.
case against his client was being mo- Devon Jacob, another lawyer for
tivated by politics. “There’s no facts Turner’s family, said “the force that
that would justify a criminal charge Delacruz used was not objectively
against the officer,” he said. Delacruz reasonable.” Delacruz returned to
shot Turner after a struggle with the work less than two weeks after the
44-year-old Black woman that a by- shooting, but the department said
stander captured on video. The foot- he'd be on administrative duty while
age showed Delacruz standing over the Texas Rangers and the civil rights
Turner and reaching down to try to division of the Harris County dis-
grab her arms. Turner then yells, “I’m trict attorney’s office investigated the