Federal prosecutor sits in at Garner administrative trial
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A federal prosecutor is sitting in on the administrative trial of a New York City police officer accused of killing Eric Garner with a chokehold banned by the department.
The appearance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes at a proceeding on Wednesday signaled that the Department of Justice still has an interest in how Garner died.
A federal inquiry began after a state grand jury declined to charge Officer Daniel Pantaleo in 2014. Federal authorities are facing a mid-July deadline to decide whether to charge him with civil rights violations.
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Pantaleo could be fired if an administrative judge determines he violated NYPD procedures.
Garner's dying words, "I can't breathe," became a slogan for the Black Lives Matter movement.