Stunning new video footage posted online claims to show more than seven additional minutes of circumstances involving the death of Eric Garner, the Staten Island father who was put in a choke hold by a New York City police officer and died, the Washington Post reports.
Authorities say that Garner died Thursday of a heart attack after a confrontation with officers from the New York City Police Department. His death sparked a rally Saturday, during which his wife burst into tears; generated online discussions about racial tension in America; and prompted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to cancel a family vacation to Italy, the Post says. De Blasio was criticized earlier for plans to travel ahead of a potential Long Island Rail Road strike.
New video footage posted online this weekend purportedly show Garner lying on the ground for several minutes, surrounded by police officers as they wait for emergency personnel.
One officer can be heard saying, “Come on, guy, breathe in, breathe out, all right?” Garner appears motionless on the ground.
The Post has not yet been able to verify the video, which appears to feature the same scene and several of the same officers, in similar outfits, as the Daily News video.
In a video obtained by the New York Daily News and published Thursday, Garner can be seen complaining about routine police harassment as two officers stand on either side of him, the Post writes. Next, the two officers can be seen moving in on Garner, who repeatedly says, “Don’t touch me,” as one officer puts him in a choke hold on the ground. The 6-foot-3, 350-pound Garner, who was asthmatic, can be heard repeatedly saying that he can’t breathe, the Daily News reports. The clip ends with his lifeless body on the ground.
Read earlier coverage at The Root.
Read more at the Washington Post.