The Justice Department announced that it would not be bringing charges against a New York police officer for the death of Eric Garner.
The Tuesday decision comes a day before the five-year anniversary of Garner’s death. Garner, 43, was arrested for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes and during the arrest NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo was filmed with his arm around the unarmed black man’s neck.
Garner, who was asthmatic, was heard saying “I can’t breathe” a number of times during the apprehension. A medical examiner ruled the death to be a homicide and said that neck and chest compression was the cause, but a grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo on criminal charges.
The decision by the Justice Department concluded a five-year civil rights investigation into the matter. Garner’s death became a rallying cry for activists pushing for police reform. The city of New York settled with Eric Garner’s family for $5.9 million in 2015 as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit.
