NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A Manhattan judge ruled Friday that this month's judicial inquiry into Eric Garner's 2014 police chokehold death will be virtual and audio only.
The decision was a blow to Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, who had urged Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Erika Edwards to postpone the inquiry until it could be held in person.
“We have been fighting for 7 years for transparency and accountability for the murder of my son Eric Garner and the cover up that involved City officials at the highest levels. Now, we will have our day in court,” Carr said in a statement. “While I’m disappointed that the proceedings will be held virtually, and that some of the officers ... will be able to roll out of bed and sit at their computers instead of on a witness stand, this judicial inquiry moving forward is a huge victory in itself.”
"There's nothing like having your day in court, we generally mean that physically in the court, and better equipped in person to elicit information. This is about transparency," said Carr's attorney, Alvin Bragg.
The inquiry, which is set to begin Oct. 25, will be the first time high-level city and police officials will have to testify about their response to the killing of Garner and answer to why Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who placed Garner in the fatal chokehold, was the only cop ever fired.
Carr and her attorneys hope this inquiry will bring transparency and accountability to the NYPD and to the city, which has been fighting the hearing for years.
Attorneys for the Garner family want to know about violations of duty and neglect of duty by all involved, all the way up the chain of command.
"We're going to ask them probing questions, not only about the day that Mr. Garner was killed, but in the lead up to that, and then very importantly what happened after," Bragg said.
The Associated Press reported the inquiry will look into whether officers lied on official documents, the leak of Garner's arrest history and medical conditions, and allegations that officers failed to provide Garner with medical care.
In July, Edwards excused Mayor Bill de Blasio, former NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, current Commissioner Dermot Shea, the city's chief medical examiner and others from testifying.
Pantaleo, who was fired by the NYPD in 2019 after a department disciplinary trial, will also not be testifying.
However, in her ruling, Edwards noted that cops at the scene when Garner died and some other top brass – including PBA President Pat Lynch – will have to testify.
The inquiry will not end with any binding ruling, but is intended to being more transparency to Garner's death.
Related
Related
