New York To Pay $5.9 Million To Settle Claim In Eric Garner's Death

A scene from the confrontation between Eric Garner and and Officer Daniel Pantaleo.

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

New York City will pay the family of Eric Garner $5.9 million to settle claims filed after his police-related death, the city's comptroller announced Monday.

Garner, a 43-year old resident of Staten Island, died July 17, 2014, after New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold during an attempted arrest over selling untaxed cigarettes. The city's medical examiner declared Garner's death a homicide, but a grand jury convened by the Staten Island District Attorney declined to indict Pantaleo, sparking widespread demonstrations.

“We are all familiar with the events that lead to the death of Eric Garner and the extraordinary impact his passing has had on our city and our nation," Scott Stringer, New York's comptroller, said in a statement. "While we cannot discuss the details of this settlement, and the city has not admitted liability, I believe that we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner’s death, while balancing my office’s fiscal responsibility to the city.”

Gwen Carr, the mother of the late Eric Garner.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Monday's settlement prevents the Garner family from following through with a lawsuit against the city. In their original claim, the family had sought $75 million.

Jonathan Moore, an attorney for the Garner family, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Garner's final words — "I can't breathe" — were captured by a witness's cell phone video and became a prominent rallying cry in the "Black Lives Matter" movement and demonstrations that spread across the U.S. and abroad.

Even musicians and pro-athletes wore "I can't breathe" messages on their uniforms in solidarity with the movement, which brought some major cities to a complete standstill as tens of thousands marched in support of better police treatment toward blacks.

In the wake of Garner's death, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced plans to retrain New York's police force, allocating $35 million to teach officers, among other things, how to reduce incidents of inappropriate force.

LINK: 42 Dramatic Protest Photos Sparked By Eric Garner’s Chokehold Death

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