A few weeks ago, Eric Garner died soon after a plain clothes NYPD officer put him in what most reasonable people would characterize as a chokehold. The entire incident was captured on video and many people, including the mayor, police commissioner, medical examiner, and police union spokesperson, have weighed in on the footage.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
As an individual who’s no expert in law enforcement, it looked like a choke hold to me.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
As defined in the department’s patrol guide, this would appear to have been a chokehold.
NYC Medical Examiner spokesperson Julie Bolcer, on what Eric Gardner died from
Compression of his neck (chokehold), compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.
Patrolman’s Benevolent Association spokesman Patrick Lynch
It is not a chokehold. It was bringing a person to the ground the way we’re trained to do to place him under arrest.
Well, that settles it.
