All those who want justice for Eric Garner—the Staten Island, N.Y., father who died after New York City police officers placed him in a choke hold during an arrest—will be relieved by this update.
According to the Daily News, the New York City medical examiner has declared Garner’s death a homicide—by choke hold. Some of Garner’s health conditions, like asthma, obesity and high blood pressure, also played a role.
“Thank God the truth is finally out,” Esaw Garner, Garner’s widow, told the News. “Thank God for that.”
When video of Garner’s arrest was posted on the Internet, it caused a national uproar, since many people believe the police were overly aggressive when arresting Garner. Viewers of the video were also shocked to see that the controversial choke hold—a technique that is banned in New York—was used during his detainment. That Garner lay motionless for seven minutes while the arresting officers looked on also did not fly well with many viewers.
Both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Rev. Al Sharpton released statements in response to the autopsy announcement.
“We all have a responsibility to work together to heal the wounds from decades of mistrust and create a culture where the police department and the communities they protect respect each other,” de Blasio said in a statement.
Sharpton will be organizing some sort of event to commemorate this news, saying, “We’re reviewing it and we’ll be announcing tomorrow what course of action we’ll be taking after we meet tonight,” he told the News.
Read more at the New York Daily News.