New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a Wednesday press conference that the Department of Justice will conduct a civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
De Blasio, who called Garner’s death “a terrible tragedy that no family should have to endure,” said that he spoke to outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder and the nominee to replace him, Loretta Lynch.
“They made clear that the investigation initiated by the U.S. attorney would now move forward, move expeditiously, and be a thorough investigation,” he said.
CNN and NBC News also reported that an investigation would take place.
Earlier Wednesday, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo in Garner’s death. Garner was arrested on July 17 for selling untaxed cigarettes, and was placed in a chokehold by Pantaleo. A video of the incident shows Garner screaming that he “can’t breathe” multiple times before going limp. A medical examiner later determined the chokehold to be the cause of death and ruled Garner’s death a homicide.
Immediately following the grand jury decision, New York lawmakers demanded a federal investigation into Garner’s death.
“The death of Eric Garner is a tragedy that demands accountability,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said. “Nobody unarmed should die on a New York City street corner for suspected low-level offenses. I’m shocked by this grand jury decision, and will be calling on the Department of Justice to investigate.”
Gillibrand’s Senate colleague, fellow New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, offered a similar statement on Twitter:
The Justice Department must launch a Federal investigation into Eric Garner’s death as soon as possible. -cs
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 3, 2014
“I’m struggling, because I’m also a father of two young African-American boys,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said. “And I don’t know what to say about what is happening in this country right now. We’re better than this as a country.”
The decision in Garner’s case came just one week after a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. That decision sparked days of protests across the country, and officials prepared for similar demonstrations in New York City on Wednesday.
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