Eric Garner's widow on accepting officer's condolences: "Hell no"

Eric Garner's widow, Esaw Garner, firmly rejected condolences from the officer who was investigated in the death of her husband.

"Hell no," said Esaw Garner during a Wednesday press conference. "The time for remorse would have been when my husband was screaming to breath. That would have been the time for him to show some type of remorse or some type of care for another human being's life, when he was screaming 11 times that he can't breathe."

Her statement came after a grand jury decided not to charge New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo in her husband's death. Pantaleo was videotaped holding Garner in an apparent chokehold during an arrest. The 43-year-old Garner had been suspected of selling cigarettes illegally. He died in the incident.

Pantaleo issued a statement after the grand jury decision:

"It is never my intention to hard anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner," Pantaleo said. "My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope they will accept my personal condolences for their loss."

"No, I don't accept his apology," said Esaw Garner. "No, I could care less about his condolences. No, I could care less. He's still working, he's still getting a paycheck, he's still feeding his kids, and my husband is six feet under, and I'm looking for a way to feed my kids now. Who's going to play Santa Claus for my grandkids this year? Cause he played Santa Claus for my grandkids -- who's going to do that now?"

The grand jury's decision not to indict Pantaleo sparked protests around New York Wednesday night. The Justice Department said it will launch a civil rights investigation into Garner's death.

"This fight ain't over, it's just begun," she said. "I'm determined to get justice for my husband, because he shouldn't have been killed in that way -- he shouldn't have been killed in any way."