The guy is dead and his death was ruled a homicide by an illegal choke hold by the coroner and forensic experts.
...
Show me the New York statute that makes it illegal.
And while the coroner did rule the death a homicide, he listed a whole laundry list of causes without specifically mentioning a choke hold. I don’t know what other “forensic experts” you are talking about.
The cop could have shot the criminal and would have garnered (no pun) sympathy. Using non-lethal force (which he did, regardless of the outcome) causes more headaches.
Homicide simply means death at the hands of another....as suicide means death by ones own hand. It doesn’t indicate culpability. The jury obviously found that the cops had not knowingly done anything that would provoke his death, and were simply trying to restrain him when he resisted arrest, not “putting him in achokehold” (which is capable of causing death by crushing the windpite). He had heart problems and asthma, but they can’t do a medical exame before they arrest somebody.
As for why he was arrested, the neighbors on the street had complained about the illegal cigarette selling because it attracted lowlifes, including lots of hoodie teenagers, and also because some of the cigarette sellers were also selling drugs. This was Garner’s second arrest for the same thing, but even so, it was a misdemeanor and it’s not clear why he became so upset about it. I think he had some drug sales activity in his background, IIRC.
THis afternoon, 4 cops in Denver were mowed down by a driver while they were escorting a Ferguson “protest” that was coming out of a high school. It seems to have been an accident, and the driver is thought to have had a seizure and just shot forward. Two of the cops were slightly injured, one is in serious condition, and one was crushed under the car and is in critical condition. And guess what...the high school students they were escorting (for their safety) cheered when the driver ran over the cops.