The officer responsible for the chokehold death of Eric Garner is set to face trial next May.
It’s been five years since Daniel Pantaleo, a white officer, took the life of Garner, an unarmed Black man who screamed “I can’t breathe,” before being brutally choked.
Previously, Pantaleo’s lawyer tried to have the department trial delayed until July, which is when time runs out for federal prosecutors to file civil rights charges against him. Thankfully a judge rejected the attorney’s demands. According to ABC 7, Pantaleo is charged with reckless use of a chokehold and intentional use of a chokehold in Garner’s July 2014 death in Staten Island.
Garner, 43, was the father of six children and was put in a chokehold after officers were called because Garner was allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Since the murder, Pantaleo has been placed on desk duty and been stripped of his gun and badge. If convicted, Pantaleo could face being fired from his police department or lose vacation days.
Garner died after suffering from a heart attack on his way to the hospital after being choked. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused in part by compression of his neck from a chokehold. The trial is set for May 13.
