This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The New York police department said on Monday it was moving ahead with disciplinary proceedings against a police officer accused in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, given a lack of action by federal authorities.

Eric Garner: federal grand jury hears evidence to determine civil rights violation Read more

Garner was killed in a confrontation with NYPD officers on Staten Island in 2014. He was unarmed and was confronted over the sale of loose cigarettes. His dying words, “I can’t breathe”, became a slogan for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A letter from an NYPD lawyer informed the US Department of Justice that it would no longer wait for federal authorities to decide whether to charge Officer Daniel Pantaleo.



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The letter said that after nearly four years since Garner’s death, the department could no longer justify delaying its own administrative case.

In 2015, Garner’s family reached a $5.9m settlement with New York City authorities.

The DoJ declined to comment. There was no immediate comment from the officer’s lawyer.