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Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton promised a full and thorough investigation into the death of Eric Garner, who died while cops tried to arrest him in Tompkinsville on Thursday.
“I’d like to offer my deepest condolences to family and friends of Eric Garner,” de Blasio said during a press conference Friday at City Hall. “It’s a terrible tragedy no family should have to experience.”
Partial video of the confrontation obtained by the New York Daily News shows an officer placing what appears to be a choke hold on the 6ft 3, 25st man who can be heard complaining that he cannot breathe.
Four police officers help bring the man down and he apparently loses conciousness.
The video shows the officer who apparently choked Mr Garner using his hands to push Mr Garner’s face into the sidewalk.
Ramsey Orta, 22, shot the video posted by the newspaper. He told The Associated Press on Friday that he was sitting with Mr Garner and discussing weekend plans before the confrontation with police.
Mr Garner had just broken up a fight between two other men when the police approached him, claiming they’d observed him selling loose cigarettes, Orta said.
“Before they even grabbed him, he told them he wasn’t feeling good and that’s why I pulled the camera out and started recording,” said Orta, adding that Mr Garner was asthmatic. “They could’ve just hopped out on the guys who were fighting, but they didn’t bother to ask. They just jumped straight on him.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
