Daniel Prude protests at Rochester Wegmans causes store to shut down
Demonstrators appear to be apart of Free The People Roc
A Wegmans in Rochester, New York, closed its doors on Tuesday after demonstrators, reportedly demanding justice on the one-year anniversary of the death of Daniel Prude, marched to the store's parking lot and tried to gain entrance to the building.
Wegmans confirmed to FOX Business that its East Avenue location will remain closed due to "protest activity taking place outside of the store."
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The company didn't specify when the store will reopen or what the protest was about. However, all customers have since evacuated from the building.
"Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and customers," the company said.
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A Twitter video appears to show an employee holding the door shut in an effort to deter the demonstrators from going inside. Meanwhile, other clips showed the protestors chanting "Black Lives Matter," while some used chalk to write messages on the concrete.
The demonstrators are part of Free The People Roc, according to WHEC. The group had planned multiple protests throughout what they have dubbed as "Daniel's Day."
Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s death.
Explicit video showed the 41-year-old naked Black man whimpering as police held him to the pavement on a frigid night last March after handcuffing him and putting a mesh spit hood over his head. The officers, who were suspended, held him down for about two minutes until Prude stopped breathing. He died a week later.
Police initially described his death as a drug overdose. It went mostly unnoticed. But nightly protests erupted after body camera video of the actual incident was released nearly six months later following pressure from Prude’s family.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced last month that the officers involved will not face criminal charges after a grand jury declined to indict them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.