WASHINGTON, December 4 (Sputnik) – A New York grand jury has decided not to proceed with criminal charges against a police officer, who killed African-American Eric Garner in a chokehold last July.
"After deliberation on the evidence presented in this matter, the grand jury found that there was no reasonable cause to vote an indictment," Richmond County District Attorney Daniel Donovan said Wednesday.
Protests broke out in New York over the grand jury's decision later in the day, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
In a statement on Wednesday officer Daniel Pantaleo said he was sorry for the incident.
"It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss," Pantaleo said.
"I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can't protect themselves," the officer stressed.
This is a deeply emotional day – for the Garner Family, and all New Yorkers. http://t.co/C6lY1kk3Eb
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) December 3, 2014
Garner was a street peddler, selling untaxed cigarettes. A nearly 350 pound asthmatic, Garner died from suffocation after being put in a chokehold by police officer Daniel Pantaleo. A video of the arrest and chokehold was recorded by a bystander with a cell-phone and went viral on the internet.
"Every time you see me you want to mess with me, I'm tired of this, this stops today," Garner told police in the video. "I'm minding my business, please leave me alone. Don't touch me, don't touch me," Garner said as he was tackled to the ground by four police officers.
As Pantaleo implemented the chokehold Garner repeatedly called out "I can't breathe, I can't breathe". A coroner determined Garner died from the chokehold.
Wednesday's grand jury decision follows another similar case in Ferguson, Missouri, where African-American teenager Michael Brown was killed by a while police officer in August. That killing and a verdict by a grand jury not to indict officer Darren Wilson last week set off nationwide protests and renewed debate over police brutality in the United States.
