NYPD Officer Who Killed Eric Garner with a Choke Hold Will Not Be Charged
The New York Police Department banned choke holds 21 years ago, in 1993. And today, a grand jury in Staten Island declined to indict an NYPD officer who used a choke hold to kill 43-year old Eric Garner: No Charges in Eric Garner Chokehold Case for Officer.
An indictment was considered only against Officer Pantaleo, who testified last, on Nov. 21, his lawyer, Stuart London, said. The other officers received immunity, he said.
The case exposed lapses in police tactics - chokeholds are banned by the Police Department’s own guidelines - and raised questions about the aggressive policing of minor offenses in a time of historically low crime. The officers, part of a plainclothes unit, suspected Mr. Garner of selling loose cigarettes on the street near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a complaint among local business owners.
Officer involved in death of Eric Garner: “It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad” - pic.twitter.com/oIjKP6JjMb
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2014