EMTs Placed on Modified Leave as Investigation into Eric Garner's Death Continues

The investigation is ongoing.

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The death of Eric Garner after being placed in a chokehold by the NYPD has triggered an investigation into the actions of emergency responders who were summoned to help the 43-year-old last week. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, FDNY spokesman Jim Long said that four EMTs have been placed on modified duty as a precaution he described as standard procedure. This decision was made shortly after the emergence of a video which shows EMTs doing what Gothamist described as "very little" to assist an unconscious Garner. 

NYPD officers attempted to arrest Garner in Staten Island last Thursday, claiming they saw him selling illegal cigarettes. Garner denied any wrongdoing, and disturbing footage showed an officer applying a chokehold—a move prohibited by the police department—before fellow officers piled on top of the 350-pound man in attempt to subdue him. Garner, who suffered from asthma , can be heard saying "I can't breathe" several times. 

Though the New York City Medical Examiner's Office has yet to release an official cause of death, a source told the New York Post that more could've been done to save Garner's life. "Maybe the EMT felt a pulse, but it was obvious this male was in serious distress and needed to be assisted with his breathing," the Source told the Post. The source also noted that a medic seen in the video never "[used] a stethoscope to check his lungs for air movement" or "[connected] him to an oxygen mask."

A separate police investigation into the tragedy has been launched. Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who placed Garner in the chokehold, has been stripped of his gun and badge, while another officer, Justin Damico, has been also been relegated to modified duty. 

[via Wall Street Journal, Gothamist and New York Post]

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