New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill
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The New York City police officer who used a chokehold on Eric Garner in a 2014 encounter that ended with Garner’s death has been fired, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill announced Monday.
Daniel Pantaleo, 34, was fired about two weeks after a police judge recommended that the officer be terminated over his use of the chokehold, a move that is prohibited under NYPD rules.
O’Neill announced in a media gathering at police headquarters Monday morning that Pantaleo “can no longer effectively serve as a New York City police officer.”
Garner, a 43-year-old black man, was approached by an officer who accused him of selling loose cigarettes outside of a Staten Island storefront. Garner pulled away from an initial attempt to arrest him, and Pantaleo then wrapped his arm around Garner’s neck from behind.
Pantaleo kept Garner in a chokehold after Garner fell to the ground; Garner’s last words were “I can’t breathe,” which later became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement.
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