Summary: A Washington-based group of federal prosecutors reportedly plan to charge the NYPD officer who killed Eric Garner.
“I can’t breathe.” Those were the haunting last words of Eric Garner. He died when a NYPD cop put him in a chokehold before pressing him against the ground during the summer of 2014. A few months later, a Richmond County grand jury chose to not indict the cop who killed Garner, and this stirred public outrage. Following the incident, the Department of Justice opened an investigation with a New York-based team, and PIX11 reports that this week, the government swapped the New Yorkers for a Washington-based group.
On Tuesday, Garner’s sister Elisa said that she was pleased the team had been replaced.
“It’s a step in the right direction, we are patient and we look forward to seeing the outcome,” Elisa said.
According to the New York Post, the Washington prosecutors plan to aggressively pursue charges against Daniel Pantaleo. Pantaleo had tried to restrain Garner, who had been stopped for selling cigarettes, and Officer Pantaleo used an illegal chokehold on Garner, who already had health problems. An autopsy report declared Garner’s death a homicide.
An anonymous source told the New York Post that the New York investigators were seething about the Washington prosecutors replacement of them and the decision. They felt that they had already come to a conclusion and were being undermined by people determined to make an example.
Pat Lynch of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association told Pix11 that the New York’s team removal was “unusual” and “deeply troubling.”
Garner’s death was one of many police murders of black men that caught nationwide attention. His murder was videotaped and distributed online by Ramsey Orta, who claimed that he was targeted by police after the filming. Orta had a prior criminal record which included heroin distribution, but he filed a lawsuit against the police department for harassment.
Do you think Pantaleo should be charged? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo courtesy of New York Post