Officer Not Charged in Killing of Eric Garner Despite Video Evidence

By Dustin M Braden - 03 Dec '14 19:19PM

A New York City grand jury has refused to indict a police officer who was captured on camera using excessive force that resulted in the death of Eric Garner, spurring protests across the United States.

The New York Times reports that the grand jury reached this decision despite the fact that the medical examiner who conducted Garner's autopsy determined his death to be a homicide, and the choke hold maneuver which resulted in Garner's death is outlawed by the New York Police Department's own training protocols.

The decision not to charge Garner's killer, Daniell Pantaleo, with at least manslaughter, has led to protests throughout New York City and the United States. Images of the protests sprung up on social media after the decision was made.

People gathered at the scene of Garner's death to pay their respects.

Here's a wide shot of the protest at Bay Beauty Supplies, the site of Eric Garner's killing. pic.twitter.com/kqFANZ2i3l

— Ali Gharib (@Ali_Gharib) December 4, 2014

Protesters closed streets in Washington D.C.

Blocking the roads in DC in protest at the Garner Grand jury verdict pic.twitter.com/fRFJfIC3jR — Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher) December 4, 2014

They also held a "die in" at New York's Grand Central Station.

A protest in Grand Central Terminal after the grand jury’s decision in the Garner case. More: https://t.co/IfOVhvnmpA pic.twitter.com/nsSKJxJoxI

— NYT Metro Desk (@NYTMetro) December 3, 2014

There was a heavy police presence in Manhattan as protesters gathered in an effort to prevent the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

these people are the reason i still have some hope for this world #ICantBreathe #EricGarner #CrimingWhileWhite pic.twitter.com/Q7bBi2dynQ — four af !!!¨̮ (@sunshinezouis) December 4, 2014

People in St. Louis, which has been the center of fierce unrest since the decision not to indict Darren Wilson, who killed an unarmed teen named Michael Brown, also protested.