“There’s actually one query right here,” lawyer Andrew Celli Jr. advised reporters Friday. “And that’s, was there a cover-up?” Celli mentioned his investigation goals to find out a timeline of occasions, whether or not there was alleged inner cover-up, and the way the details about Prude’s loss of life was saved from the general public within the metropolis in western New York.His workforce plans to difficulty a number of subpoenas by Monday to the workplace of Rochester Mayor Pretty Warren, the Rochester Police Division, town regulation division and town council itself. However these 4 subpoenas are simply the beginning, Celli mentioned, and he expects “various” individuals will probably be deposed underneath oath. “Nobody is off limits,” he mentioned. Celli plans to make the checklist of subpoenas and depositions publicly obtainable when it is full, he mentioned. On the finish of what Celli expects to be a three-month investigation, the ultimate report will probably be made public in addition to transcripts of the depositions. The unbiased investigation is not going to concentrate on street-level police practices, Celli mentioned, however particularly on the governmental processes after the interplay between police and Prude. The Metropolis Council approved the unbiased investigation this week, tasking Celli’s regulation agency, Emery, Celli, Brinkerhoff, Abady, Ward & Maazel LLP, with figuring out what occurred inside the metropolis’s businesses after Prude’s loss of life in late March. Earlier this week, town launched greater than 300 pages of inner communications, police studies and different paperwork that present a concerted effort by police and metropolis officers to manage the narrative round Prude’s loss of life in custody and delay the discharge of police physique digital camera footage of his interplay with police.Celli advised reporters Friday that his workforce will dig deeper. His workforce will probably coordinate with the New York Legal professional Common’s workplace the place there’s overlap between investigations, in keeping with Celli. New York Legal professional Common Letitia James introduced September 5 that she’s empaneling a grand jury to analyze Prude’s loss of life.The unbiased investigation is not going to concentrate on street-level police practices, Celli mentioned, however particularly on the governmental processes after the interplay between police and Prude. The mayor’s workplace declined to remark additional on the upcoming subpoenas on Friday. CNN didn’t hear again for remark from the Rochester Police Division.A spokesman for town council declined to remark additional on the upcoming subpoenas. Councilman Malik Evans advised CNN in a separate assertion that he was “happy that Council voted unanimously to start an investigation into the circumstances round Daniel Prude’s loss of life. Andrew Celli and his workforce will probably be attending to work instantly to comply with the info round this tragedy.”Prude’s loss of life and police physique digital camera footage of the deadly encounter have prompted protests in Rochester and accusations of a cover-up.Prude was within the midst of a psychological well being episode on March 23 when his brother known as Rochester police for assist, in keeping with his household. Attorneys for the household launched police bodycam footage that reveals officers handcuff a unadorned Prude and canopy his head with a “spit sock” after he claimed he had coronavirus and was spitting. Officers maintain the 41-year-old and push him to the bottom in a inclined place, the video reveals.He stopped respiratory and was declared brain-dead at a hospital, the place he died per week later, on March 30. The health worker dominated Prude’s loss of life a murder, citing issues of asphyxia within the setting of bodily restraint. The report additionally cites excited delirium and acute PCP intoxication as contributing elements to the fast explanation for loss of life.Seven law enforcement officials concerned have been suspended, in keeping with the mayor. This week, the mayor fired Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary and suspended two metropolis corridor division heads.CNN’s Madeline Holcombe, Eric Levenson, Taylor Romine and Evan Simko-Benarski contributed to this report.
