DOJ to investigate death of Eric Garner

[JURIST]

US Attorney General Eric Holder [official website] announced [press release] Wednesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] will launch a civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner, the unarmed black man who was killed last summer after being placed in a choke hold by a white New York City police officer during an arrest. The announcement was made shortly after a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict [NYT report] the officers in Garner's arrest. Garner died July 17 after being placed in a choke hold by Officer David Pantaleo. The incident was caught on tape, and shows Garner was unarmed. After Garner was taken down by Pantaleo, Garner can be heard on tape saying, "I can't breathe." Holder said that DOJ prosecutors "will conduct an independent, thorough, fair and expeditious investigation," as well as a complete review of information gathered by the local investigation. "We have all seen the video of Mr. Garner's arrest," said Holder:

All lives must be valued. Mr. Garner's death is one of several recent incidents across the country that have tested the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and the communities they are charged to serve and protect. This is not a New York issue or a Ferguson issue alone. Those who have protested peacefully across our great nation following the grand jury's decision in Ferguson have made that clear.