After five years of investigations and protests, New York City’s police commissioner on Monday fired an officer involved in the 2014 chokehold death of an unarmed black man whose dying cries of “I can’t breathe” fueled a national debate over race and police use of force.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill’s announced at a midday news conference that he had fired Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is white, based on a recent recommendation of a department disciplinary judge. He said it was clear that Pantaleo “can no longer effectively serve as a New York City police officer.”
“None of us can take back our decisions,” O’Neill said, “especially when they lead to the death of another human being.”
O’Neill has been deliberating on whether to accept a disciplinary judge’s recommendation to fire Officer Daniel Pantaleo for using a banned chokehold on Eric Garner.
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The recordings led to years of protests and calls by black activists and liberal politicians for Pantaleo to lose his job. City officials had long insisted, though, they couldn’t take action until criminal investigations were complete.
A state grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo in 2014. Federal authorities, however, kept a civil rights investigation open for five years before announcing last month they wouldn’t bring charges.
Pantaleo’s lawyer has insisted the officer used a reasonable amount of force and didn’t mean to hurt Garner.
New York City’s mayor has declined to say whether he believes the officer should lose his job but has been promising “justice” to the slain man’s family.
Garner’s death came at a time of a growing public outcry over police killings of unarmed black men that sparked the national Black Lives Matter movement.
Just weeks later, protests erupted in Ferguson, Missouri, over the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. And later in 2014, a man angry about the Garner and Brown cases shot two New York City police officers to death in their cruiser in retribution.
At a recent administrative trial at New York Police Department headquarters, Pantaleo’s lawyers argued he used an approved “seat belt” technique to subdue Garner, who refused to be handcuffed after officers accused him of selling untaxed cigarettes.
In a bystander’s video, it appeared that Pantaleo initially tried to use two approved restraint tactics on Garner, who was much larger at 6-foot-2 (188 centimeters) and about 400 pounds (180 kilograms), but ended up wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck for about seven seconds as they struggled against a glass storefront window and fell to the sidewalk.
The footage showed Garner, who was 43 at the time, crying out, “I can’t breathe,” at least 11 times before he fell unconscious. The medical examiner’s office said a chokehold contributed to Garner’s death.
Questions about the handling of the case have dogged Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio during his long-shot run for president, with some protesters at the recent debate in Detroit chanting, “Fire Pantaleo.”
(AP)
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16 Responses
thank you aguda for supporting a cop hating mayor.
The Phony DeBlasio, created a setup to wrongfully get a left-leaning (Sharpton-loving) investigative judge to recommend firing Pantaleo. This was done even after both state and federal investigations cleared Pantaleo, Now the poor guy Pantaleo will lose his pension. This is all because the known racial arsonist Sharpton pushed for it. Funny thing, Sharpton, himself, is guilty of many crimes, and has gotten away with it all. So O’Neill, a DeBlasio appointee, made a “show” of reviewing the “judge’s” decision and finally fired him. Just know – this was all planned out to appease Sharpton inc.
Rightly so. No one just selling cigarettes should end up dead at the hands of the police.
Now the “officer” that held up a Hatzalah paramedic on a cardiac call MUST get fired. In a way; his is a more serious case – there was a known medical emergency in progress and he chose to ignore it. He chose to abuse his power and overlook the importance of saving a human life. For that, he needs to go- now.
rt, if he were just selling cigarettes he would be alive today. If you watch the video there was much more going on than just selling cigarettes.
Mottel: Panteleo was cleared of homicide charges. He was not cleared of violating NYPD rules about choking suspects. And let’s remember: Garner was suspected of selling loose or untaxed cigarettes, not rape or drug dealing, like those Mexicans that Trump worries about.
To karlbenmarx and Mottel1 I would advise you to watch the video of Mr Garner’s murder. Mr. Pantaleo had no reason to continue chocking a nonviolent person once he was down. There were also 4 other cops there to continue the arrest. Mr Garner was murdered by the cop. He should be in jail.
Mottel1; Are you kidding?! “poor guy Panteleo”! This violent choking to death cop is alive and kicking while poor Eric Garner is dead for the major crime of selling untaxed cigarettes and resisting going back to be abused in the cruel prison system.
Actually I’ve seen how violent some police officers can be when “not bowed down to” as in the Schick incident in Boro Park where they provoked a riot by their vicious treatment of an older man.
ah yid, he was resisting arrest, he was combative and he was aggressive and lets not forget its not like he was a frail 80 year old babushka, he was 400 pounds !!! and 6’2 with a known criminal record and possibly armed and he was doing something illegal.
Perhaps HUJU and AH YID….BUT!!!
If it was any one else as the “victim”, there would not have been such an outcry. By the way…even the administrative judge DID not accuse Pantaleo of causing Garner to stop breathing. The so-called choke hold “contributed” (in the view of the Administrative Judge – NOT in the view of BOTH the Federal and State investigations.
Bottom line: This decision is a travesty…NOT JUSTICE (in DeBlasio’s words).
There are times that anyone does a wrong act and needs to be punished. The fact that no charges were recommended by a Grand Jury (that contained “people of color”) as well as no charges on the Federal level, is telling
DeBlasio CLAIMS he wants to stop cop suicides. Instead of hiring psychiatrists, support your cops. If there is a suspected infraction of the rules – REALLY INVESTIGATE. Don’t just make believe and decide on the outcome before the investigation.
Why would anyone want to be a cop?
rt, Uncle Ben, and huju seem to think that if someone is being arrested for a petty offense they should be allowed to just refuse to be arrested and the police should let them go. Pantaleo used the minimum force necessary to make the arrest and to restrain the prisoner.
If Garner couldn’t breathe he wouldn’t have been able to talk. The plain fact is that he gave himself a heart attack by resisting, and Pantaleo is the korban.
To karlbenmarx yes he was resisting, but as I wrote once he was down there was absolutely no reason to chock him to death. When he was screaming 11 times “I can’t breath” Pantaleo should have let up. Watch the video. This time the cop was wrong.
Anyone remember Gidone Busch a”h? He was shot down in his driveway by New York City police officers on 46th St. in Boro Park in 1999. He was mentally ill, and he was armed – with a hammer – against eight armed officers. According to accounts, one officer fired and then the rest fired together. There was a NYPD unit for dealing with the mentally ill, but it had not arrived on the scene and only regular (untrained) officers were there. There was an investigation, but the trial didn’t lead to any convictions. Evidently the penalty for being mentally disturbed on the street in NYC is death. Even if you’re Jewish.
And don’t forget Amadou Diallo, who was shot down by four officers in the foyer of his apartment building , also in 1999, while he was reaching for his wallet to show ID. The officers were tried and, of course, not convicted. Again, evidently the penalty for scaring a NYPD officer is death.
Where there is no accountability, there is no justice. If you’re an American (white) cop you can kill just about anyone you like and get away with it. Remember that seventh Mitzvah Bnei Noach about having a justice system? Justice is also about not punishing the innocent, not just punishing the guilty. When the penalty for something like selling untaxed cigarettes is death, how do we convince the Beis Din she Maa;ah that our system is just?
Now that Panteleo rightly and justly has been fired, and now that he has no roof over his head nor free board & accommodation in prison c/o we taxpayers:- i.e. this murderer has no source of income:- ירעה עד שימות
Midwest2, the penalty for putting any person in reasonable fear of deadly force is that they have every right to use deadly force against you. It makes absolutely no difference whether you are mentally ill, a minor, or anything else. The Torah allows killing even an innocent baby, if the baby threatens someone’s life. Because it’s not about the person using the force, it’s about the person defending himself.
The policemen confronting Busch or Diallo had no duty to let themselves be killed or injured. They had a reasonable perception that they were in danger, so they were entitled to use deadly force to defend themselves, and Busch and Diallo ended up dead. That’s unfortunate, but not their fault.
As for Garner, he killed himself. The police had nothing to do with it. Had he not resisted arrest he would have been fine.
Midwest; Unfortunately, I do remember as I heard the shots fired and saw Gidon Busch bleeding to death in the street. A public execution!