NEW YORK — A lesser known cell-phone video of the aftermath of the arrest of Eric Garner gives new insight into events leading up to his death.
The video shows a dying man lying on the street for more than 6 minutes as officers calmly wait for an ambulance, showing no sign of urgency.
When a witness asks why they’re not performing CPR, an officer says “he’s still breathing.”
A separate more-circulated cell-phone video shows Garner upset and frustrated with perceived harassment by police officers who then react to his lack of cooperation with force.
The fatal encounter July 17 on Staten Island started when officers confronted Garner, because they suspected him of selling cigarettes illegally.
“I didn’t do s***t, I’m minding my own business,” Garner is heard telling a police officer in one video.
“What did I do? Who did I sell cigarettes to?” he asks the officer.
The officer points up the street and Garner gets more frustrated.
“Every time you see me, you want to arrest me. I’m tired of it. This stops today,” Garner says.
Garner, 43, was pronounced dead that day.
As four police officers held him down, he’s heard saying “I can’t breathe,” eight times.
His death was later ruled a homicide, but a grand jury decided not in indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo who had performed a stranglehold on Garner.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal officials were moving ahead with a civil rights investigation into Garner’s death.