The death of a Staten Island man has left authorities scrambling after a controversial accidental death. The incident, which was caught on tape by an onlooker, has put the NYPD in hot water. Internal affairs is now investigating the death of Eric Garner, a 6-foot-4, 400-pound man who allegedly was selling untaxed cigarettes.
The victim was put in a chokehold while authorities tried to place him in handcuffs. The man, who was allegedly asthmatic, suffered a heart attack after telling the officers that he could not breathe.
When Garner told the police that he could not breathe, onlooker Ramsey Orta began recording the video, according to the New York Daily News. It took four officers to bring the man to the ground before he loses consciousness.
"Every time you see me, you want to mess with me. I'm tired of it. It stops today. I'm minding my business please just leave me alone," said Garner in the video, before the takedown. The married father and grandfather had a history of 31 arrests going back to 1988. His head was apparently slammed into the sidewalk after repeating that he could not breathe more than five times on the video.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Garner, who died yesterday afternoon while being placed in police custody. We have a responsibility to keep every New Yorker safe, and that includes when individuals are in custody of the NYPD. That is a responsibility that Police Commissioner Bratton and I take very seriously. We are harnessing all resources available to the City to ensure a full and thorough investigation of the circumstances of this tragic incident. The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is working closely with the Office of the Richmond County District Attorney, which is leading this investigation," said Mayor de Blasio in an official statement.
A full investigation has been ordered into the incident that has left many questioning the actions of the NYPD, and an autopsy on Garner is scheduled for today.
