Another important decision about about whether or not to prosecute police who killed a Black man is about to be made. A grand jury assembled to investigate the chokehold death of Eric Garner by NYPD will make its decision before the end of the year.
Reports the Associated Press:
The grand jury that began investigating the chokehold death of Eric Garner in September heard last week from what was believed to be its final witness – the New York Police Department officer seen on a widely watched amateur video showing him wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck. Before the end of the year, authorities are expected to announce whether the officer will face criminal charges in a case that sparked outrage and grabbed headlines before it was overshadowed by the killing of Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.
The Garner video – along with a medical examiner’s finding that the chokehold contributed to his death on the streets of Staten Island – should give a grand jury ample reason to indict, said Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr.
“You’d have to be blind to not see what happened,” Carr said in a telephone interview. “I can’t see why it should take so long to reach a decision. … The wait is making me very anxious, of course. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Garner’s death was ruled a homicide by the New York City medical examiner.
Unfortunately, as Darren Wilson walking proves, these cases are just never guaranteed.
NYPD is reportedly taking steps to avoid the violence that followed the Wilson decision.
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Photo: YouTube
