STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The family of Eric Garner has agreed to accept a $5.9 million settlement in connection with his death while in police custody, City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced Monday night.

"Following a judicious review of the claim and facts of this case, my office was able to reach a settlement with the estate of Eric Garner that is in the best interests of all parties," Stringer said.

"We are all familiar with the events that led to the death of Eric Garner and the extraordinary impact his passing has had on our city and our nation. It forced us to examine the state of race relations, and the relationship between our police force and the people they serve.

"While we cannot discuss the details of this settlement, and the city has not admitted liability, I believe that we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner's death while balancing my office's fiscal responsibility to the city," Stringer added.

When asked about the settlement following a march on Staten Island for her father Monday, Erica Garner told reporters: "No amount of money is going to heal our pain ... we're just in search of justice."

Garner, 43, of Port Richmond, died in police custody July 17 after officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes on Bay Street in Tompkinsville.

JUDGE TO SPLIT SETTLEMENT

Earlier in the day Monday, the New York Daily News reported that Garner's widow, Esaw, rejected a $5 million wrongful death settlement offer from the city. Last October, the family filed a notice of claim with its intention to sue for $75 million.

"No sum of money can make this family whole, but hopefully the Garner family can find some peace and finality from today's settlement," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "By reaching a resolution, family and other loved ones can move forward even though we know they will never forget this tragic incident."

While the city has a legal department that fields lawsuits, the comptroller's office also can settle claims. Stringer has made a point of doing that in civil rights cases, saying that resolving them quickly saves the city money on legal fees.

A Staten Island Surrogate's Court judge will determine how to split the settlement between Garner's widow and his children, including his 1-year-old daughter with Jewel Miller.

Miller recently told the Advance that a mandatory DNA test confirmed that little Legacy is Garner's biological daughter. As the youngest heir, she is likely to receive more money than Garner's other children.

SETTLEMENT WITH HOSPITAL

Longtime civil rights attorney Jonathan Moore, the Garner family's lawyer, said there also was a settlement with the Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, which responded to the scene. That settlement is confidential, and there was no one available at the hospital to comment Monday.

Moore said there would be a press conference Tuesday with the Rev. Al Sharpton and the family.

Sharpton said the settlement to the family was deserved but didn't resolve the larger questions around policing and minorities. He said a rally planned for Saturday calling for an expedited federal investigation into Garner's death would go on as planned.

"We did not march and build a movement just to get money," he said.

CITY COUNCIL PROPOSES REFORMS

"Many questions remain unanswered, and there is yet much work to be done in New York City's ongoing efforts to reform our criminal justice system to ensure fairness and justice for all," Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said.

Late last month, the City Council held a hearing on nine bills covering police use of force, NYPD methods, the department's guidelines and transparency. One of the proposals would make using a chokehold in the course of attempting or effecting an arrest a misdemeanor.

De Blasio has said he would veto the ban as written, and Police Commissioner William Bratton suggested Council members hold off any reforms until the effects of the new hires and policing strategy, as well as the NYPD's new retraining effort, are felt.

'I CAN'T BREATHE'

A video of the July 17 incident shows Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo take Garner to the ground after he refused to be handcuffed. During the incident, Garner repeatedly said, "I can't breathe," before losing consciousness. He was pronounced dead at Richmond University Medical Center.

The city's medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide, determining that he died from "compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police." His weight and pre-existing medical conditions -- acute and chronic bronchial asthma and hypertensive cardiovascular disease -- also contributed to his death, the medical examiner's report stated.

However, a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo in connection with Garner's death.

-- Associated Press material was used in this report.