(Photo Credit: Keith Getter/Getty Images)
After looking into the matter, The Department of Justice has decided that it would not bring civil rights or criminal charges against NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo for being responsible in the death of Eric Garner.
The decision was made one day before a deadline on potential charges could be made, and as friends, family, and advocates remember Garner five years after his death.
His last words “I Can’t Breathe” became one of the biggest chants from #BlackLivesMatter protests around the country. The family of Garner are still waiting on a decision from a judge on whether Pantaleo will keep his job after his actions that day. He has reportedly been stripped of his badge and gun and working desk duty following Garner’s passing.
New York medical examiner officially listed Garner’s cause of death as “compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.”
The city paid a $5.9 million in a settlement with the Garner family over his death.