‘I can’t breathe’: Public inquiry into Garner’s death begins

By KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A judicial inquiry has begun into the death of Eric Garner. Garner’s dying cry of “I can’t breathe” as he was restrained by New York City police officers became a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement. Advocates including Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, sought the inquiry in hopes that it would shed light on the circumstances surrounding Garner’s July 17, 2014, death. Prosecutors at both the state and federal levels declined to charge any of the officers who were at the scene when Garner lost consciousness. Officer Daniel Pantaleo was fired five years later. Authorities said Pantaleo used a banned chokehold to restrain Garner.