A grand jury has decided not to indict a New York police officer over the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island this past July. Garner family attorney Jonathon Moore says he's "astonished by the decision," member station WNYC reports.
We'll update this post as more details about the decision emerge; a formal announcement is expected Wednesday afternoon.
Update at 2:58 p.m. ET: Borough President Calls For Peace
Saying that the grand jury's decision will likely cause disagreements and demonstrations, Staten Island Burough President James Oddo adds, "it is the obligation of all to do so while respecting the rule of law."
Oddo noted that earlier demonstrations were held without problems, proving that Staten Island residents "understand that peaceful protests make their point so much more powerfully than violent ones, which ultimately distract from their message and disrespect the memory of Eric Garner.
"We are one island, one borough and ultimately, one family," he wrote. "Let's act accordingly."
Our original post continues:
The encounter between Garner and officer Daniel Pantaleo caused an uproar after video footage was released. It showed Garner repeatedly gasping, "I can't breathe."
Garner, 43, died after being placed in a chokehold as he was being arrested for selling cigarettes on the sidewalk. He was apprehended by Pantaleo and several other officers.
His death was ruled a homicide by a New York medical examiner, who cited "compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police."
The medical examiner's report also noted that Garner suffered from asthma and heart disease, which contributed to his death.
The case sparked outrage in communities that saw it as another in a string of killings of unarmed black men at the hands of police. It also led to a broader debate about the use of force, particularly because the New York City Police Department has long banned the use of chokeholds to subdue suspects.
New York police officials have been preparing for the grand jury's decision to be released, in the hope that the city might avoid the chaos and clashes that have gripped Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the police killing of Michael Brown, 18, in August.
Reporting on the potential public reaction to the case, NPR's Joel Rose quoted Garner's mother, Gwenn Carr, who said:
"I'm not going to get out here and be violent. I hope nobody else does either, but I can't speak for anybody else. You know, everybody, they're up in arms about this 'cause the video was there for the world to see."
Along with the Brown case, Garner's death has brought new attention to how police do their job. As NPR's Gene Demby wrote in July:
"The Garner case is already rippling out into broader political conversations, like the value of the 'broken windows' strategy which targets low-level offenses that have made arrests climb in the city even as crime is near record lows. (Garner was initially approached by the police because he was suspected of selling untaxed cigarettes on the street.)"
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