Eric Garner Case: Closing Arguments Set To Begin In Trial Of NYPD Officer Accused In Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday in the departmental trial of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is accused in the death of Eric Garner.
The defense for Pantaleo called the chief medical examiner for St. Louis to the stand Wednesday.
He testified that a heart condition was a big factor in Garner's death, which contracts a New York City medical examiner's testimony that it was a chokehold.
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"The chokehold would have compromised the neck and would have compromised the airway, making it difficult for him to breathe," Dr. Floriana Persechino, the medical examiner who performed Garner's autopsy, testified last month.
The NYPD banned chokeholds in the 1990s.
Pantaleo, 33, has been on desk duty since Garner's death in 2014.
The judge will have 10 days to review the evidence before making her recommendation to the police commissioner.
The final decision on any punishment lies with the police commissioner. Penalties range from the loss of vacation days to firing.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)