The criminal case against a white police officer, Officer Daniel Pantaleo in New York whose chokehold on an unarmed black man, Eric Garner led to his death was ended today as the Staten Island grand jury failed to indict the police officer in the death of Garner, 43. It was reported that Garner screamed several times saying “I can’t breathe”, but the hold was not taken off.
During Officer Pantaleo’s appearance before the Grand Jury on November 21, he claimed that his intention was not to choke Mr. Garner and he did not know his actions could lead to his death.
The Grand Jury’s decision has again sparked widespread peaceful protects and generated a lot of condemnation from U.S. Citizens especially because the fatal incident was captured on video. With the grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Pantaleo in this case, and similarly in the recent Ferguson shooting and killing of an unarmed american black teenager, Michael Brown by a white police officer, Wilson Darren, the question now being asked is no longer centered around racial issues in the United States alone but whether Police Officers are deemed immune to being indicted.
Watch the video on how this unfortunate incident unfolded below:
