Push for charges in NYC police chokehold death

FILE- In this undated family file photo provided by the National Action Network, Saturday, July 19, 2014, Eric Garner is shown. Garner’s death was ruled a homicide by the New York City medical examiner after it was determined that a choke hold police used while trying to arrest him in July 2014, caused his death. (AP Photo/Family photo via National Action Network, File) FILE- In this undated family file photo provided by the National Action Network, Saturday, July 19, 2014, Eric Garner is shown. Garner’s death was ruled a homicide by the New York City medical examiner after it was determined that a choke hold police used while trying to arrest him in July 2014, caused his death. (AP Photo/Family photo via National Action Network, File)

By Associated Press August 2, 2014 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – New Yorkers enraged by a man’s death in police custody see a medical examiner’s ruling that blames a prohibited chokehold as a clear indication the officers involved should face criminal charges.

“They killed somebody,” neighbor Charlene Thomas said after the city’s medical examiner deemed Eric Garner’s death a homicide. “Why? Because they’re cops, they gotta get away with this?”

Garner was killed by neck compressions from the chokehold and “the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police,” city medical examiner spokeswoman Julie Bolcer said Friday.

Ramsey Orta, a friend of Garner’s who videotaped his struggle with police, said the medical examiner’s ruling wasn’t surprising.

“I knew that was the cause because I saw it,” he said. “Now somebody should get charged.”