The Justice Department will conduct an investigation into the July 17 chokehold death of Eric Garner — a decision that came in the wake of a grand jury's decision Wednesday not to indict the white police officer who wrestled the unarmed black suspect to the ground.
An unidentified official confirmed the
investigation as New York members of Congress pressed for it.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, at a somber news conference, said he'd been told by Justice officials that the federal investigation into Garner's death would move forward.
Earlier, a New York grand jury chose not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo, whose chokehold on Garner was caught on a cellphone video. The panel could have considered multiple charges, from murder to a lesser offense such as reckless endangerment.
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan said jurors found "no reasonable cause" to bring charges.
The federal investigation will look for potential federal civil-rights violations in Garner's death, which by Wednesday evening had already sparked demonstrations both on Staten Island, where Garner lived, and in Manhattan, where the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting was scheduled.
The Justice probe will be similar to a separate federal investigation already under way into the Aug. 9 shooting death in Ferguson, Missouri, of Michael Brown, 18, an unarmed black man.
A county grand jury in that case decided against indicting white police officer Darren Wilson.
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