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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – It has been over ten years since the death of Darryl Mount and the decision regarding his death is now a decade in the making.
24-year-old Darryl Mount was left comatose after falling from scaffolding while being chased by police for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Caroline Street back in 2013. He later died as a result of those injuries in 2014.
“The civil lawsuit has been pending for more than 9 years. And it’s gone through a lot of twists and turns. Most recently about a week ago the judge assigned to the case denied the city’s request to dismiss the complaint,” said Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner, Jim Montagnino.
The defendant, the City of Saratoga Springs, was seeking a summary judgment in the case and cited Mount’s fall as the actual cause of death. Mount’s family’s lawsuit claims that was not the case. Saratoga Black Lives Matter (BLM) leaders agree with the family. After a judge reviewed officer testimony he ruled the case cannot be resolved by a summary judgment.
“We are happy that there is actually movement happening. We are also happy that the judge didn’t actually throw out the whole case. Because he knows that there are some things there that’s very interesting and things that need to be spoken about,” said Figuereo.
“Darryl Mount’s case was not done right and that’s plain and simple. There should have been a thorough investigation. Anybody who would want an investigation of their children, they want to know what happened to their children,” said Figuereo.
Since the death of Darryl Mount, policing in the Spa City has seen some upgrades to the equipment and more. “There’s been a sea of change in the city’s attitude toward openness and transparency in what we do for policing. All our officers, now, are equipped with body cameras. All the vehicles are equipped with dash cameras,” said Montagnino.
Something that the Saratoga BLM says they feel is a step in the right direction when it comes to open communication and holding law enforcement accountable. “That’s a sign of trying to be more transparent with the city. They still have a long way to go,” said Figuereo. Currently, the trial is set to begin October 2. But the City plans to appeal the ruling on Monday.
When NEWS10 asked Figuereo if Mount’s family had anything to say about the changes, he says the family would not be commenting at this time.
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