The case of the Staten Island, N.Y., father of six who died after an altercation with New York City Police Department officers will go before a grand jury, the New York Times reports.
After reviewing evidence gathered by his own office’s investigation and an autopsy conducted by a medical examiner, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. has decided to bring the case before a grand jury, the Times notes.
Garner died in July after being placed in an illegal choke hold by an NYPD officer, a medical examiner ruled, calling the death a homicide. In cellphone footage of the incident, Garner could be heard telling officers that he could not breathe.
As the New York Times notes, Donovan’s move could make way for criminal charges to be pressed against Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is the one who appears to have used the choke hold.
“I assure the public that I am committed to conducting a fair, thorough and responsible investigation into Mr. Garner’s death, and that I will go wherever the evidence takes me, without fear or favor,” Donovan said in a statement, according to the Times.
Read more at the New York Times.