Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Eric Garner's Death Ruled A Homicide By NYC Medical Examiner
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 1, 2014
Modified Aug 1, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 1, 2014
Modified Aug 1, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The NYC Medical Examiner has finally released its conclusion on the death of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died after police put him in a choke hold during his arrest last month. Though there was early speculation that perhaps Garner died from cardiac arrest, and not the chokehold, the report concludes Garner died from "compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police."
Contributing conditions, according to the ME, were "acute and chronic bronchial asthma; Obesity; Hypertensive cardiovascular disease." The report concludes that Garner's death was a homicide.
Garner's death has prompted widespread outrage and promises from NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton to retrain all NYPD officers. Chokeholds have been prohibited by the NYPD since 1993, but police continue to use them. A year after the ban went into effect, an NYPD officer killed 29-year-old Anthony Baez with an illegal choke hold during an argument sparked by Baez’s football hitting a cop car.
And three days before Garner's death, another officer was caught on video appearing to put a suspect in a chokehold. Last weekend, an officer allegedly put a pregnant woman in a chokehold outside her Brooklyn home.
Police say Garner had been selling illegal untaxed cigarettes on a Staten Island sidewalk and that they were responding to a complaint about his behavior. The fatal arrest was captured on video by a witness, and raised questions about how Garner's death would have been handled if not for the documentation. The first police report about the incident, for instance, makes no mention of the use of a chokehold.
Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put Garner in the chokehold, has been stripped of his gun and badge and placed on modified duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The EMTs who lackadaisically responded to an unresponsive Garner have been suspended. Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised a full investigation into Garner's death.
UPDATE: Here's Mayor de Blasio's statement:
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Eric Garner, on this day we have received the Medical Examiner’s findings concerning the cause of his death. My administration will continue to work with all involved authorities, including the Richmond County District Attorney, to ensure a fair and justified outcome. “We all have a responsibility to work together to heal the wounds from decades of mistrust and create a culture where the police department and the communities they protect respect each other—and that’s a responsibility that Commissioner Bratton and I take very seriously. I’ve said that we would make change, and we will. As Mayor, I remain absolutely committed to ensuring that the proper reforms are enacted to ensure that this won’t happen again. “I’d also like to thank the Office of Chief Medical Examiner for conducting a thorough and expeditious review of the cause of death in this tragic incident.”
Tagged
choke hold
eric garner
Medical Examiner
nypd
NYPD violence
staten island
original
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .