Last year, On July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, New York City, Eric Garner then 43 years old died in seconds after allegedly police officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in "chokehold". He was suspected of selling unlicensed cigarettes. He had been arrested by the NYPD for 30 times since 1980 for various charges including assault and resisting arrest. The New York City Police Department policy prohibits chokeholds and an NYPD police union said the officer did not do it. The medical examiner's report though showed that Garner's death was due to a combination of poor health, compression of the chest and "Chokehold".
A year after, New York City has reached a settlement with Eric Garner's Family, agreeing to pay $5.9 million to decide the statement over his death.
"No sum of money can make this family whole, but hopefully the Garner family can find some peace and finality from today's settlement," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "By reaching a resolution, family and other loved ones can move forward even though we know they will never forget this tragic incident."
Furthermore the New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer said that the settlement with Garner's family was done "in the best interest of all parties." He added that the city did not admit liability and said in statement, "I believe that we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner's death while balancing my office's fiscal responsibility to the City."
The attorney representing Garner's family, Jonathan Moore, said that this settlement only ends the litigation against the city. A separate settlement was also reached with the hospital whose emergency medical technicians, who responded to the scene did not aid Garner but the terms of this settlement have not yet been released. Furthermore, Moore said that, "We will continue to press for a federal prosecution against the officers involved in the death of Mr. Garner."
