Man, allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, dies after chokehold by NYC police
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - A man, described as an asthmatic father of six, died after New York police tackled him in front of a beauty parlor and put him in a chokehold on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes.
The New York Police Department said that Eric Garner, 43, was selling bootleg cigarettes in front of a Staten Island hair salon on Thursday, and suffered a heart attack when officers attempted to take him into custody.
He weighed 350 pounds (158.757 kg) and measured 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters) in May, his most recent of 31 arrests - some of which were for selling untaxed smokes, police said on Friday.
His wife told the New York Daily News that he was asthmatic, diabetic and suffered from sleep apnea.
In a 3-minute video clip of the incident that was published online by the newspaper, Garner denies selling anything. He says he was minding his own business moments after having stopped a street fight between others. The source of the video couldn't immediately be confirmed.
The video recording shows that as officers surrounded him, Garner asks that they not touch him, but at least four officers tackle him to the ground and pile on top of him.
One officer puts him in a chokehold and pushes his face into the pavement, the recording shows.
"I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe," Garner says in the video.
By the end of the clip, Garner is seen motionless on the sidewalk. Police scramble to push a gathering crowd away from Garner, and one officer assures onlookers that Garner was alright.
Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a full investigation into the death that would be led by the Staten Island District Attorney, in coordination with the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau.
"We have a responsibility to keep every New Yorker safe, and that includes when individuals are in custody of the NYPD. That is a responsibility that Police Commissioner Bratton and I take very seriously," de Blasio said in a statement.
The mayor and police commissioner will hold a news conference on the incident later on Friday.
The family of Garner, who has six children, will join Reverend Al Sharpton and his National Action Network on Saturday to demand a full investigation into the death, the network said in a statement.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Bernadette Baum)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/18/us-usa-new-york-chokehold-idUSKBN0FN2D020140718
Structure of the
Lead：
WHO-Eric Garner
WHEN-Thursday
WHAT-New York
WHY-selling untaxed cigarettes
WHERE-in front of a Staten
Island hair salon
HOW-dies after chokehold by NYC police
Keywords：
1. allegedly:據稱
2. chokehold:鎖喉
3. asthmatic:氣喘
4. bootleg:私售
5. apnea:窒息
The racial discrimination is a severe problem that keep happening in America. Although many people notice it,there are still many people disregard it.Because every time you will see the black be persecuted by the other,you will never see the white be punished for doing that.I think the America authority should take action to break the gap and remove the discrimination between the white and the black. Sincerely hope that America can really carry out the racial equality one day and the idea can implants in every people around the global.
回覆刪除I can' t breath. What a grieved sentence. Apparently, those police officers did not pay attention to what he cried or they did not want to listen to the black exactly. We have to respect others. No matter who they are! On the other hand, this event let America' s racial discrimination be seen more clearly. America must use their biggest effort to investigate this terrible event. They have to give the people an explanation. In my opinion, I think every person is equal. there is no different colors. " The only different colors is the laundry bag." I read this sentence on an article. I hope not only America but also the whole world could break the racial discrimination.
回覆刪除Though the man who sells the untaxed cigarettes did do something wrong, but the penalizing ways are wrong. The racist problem has long become a big problem in America. Due to the color, people would often be treated by different ways. We today are living in a equal world, people should not be treated unfair just because of their color. People are equal, I believe only by put down our hatred and respect each other can make our world become better.
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