Once again, a police report is front-page news. An investigation by the New York Times newspaper shows that the initial five-page police report about Garner’s death last year did not mention that an officer had placed his hands around Garner’s neck. You can read the Times story about the investigation by clicking here.

Garner died in Staten Island, a borough of New York City, on July 14, 2014, after an NYPD police officer placed him in a chokehold during a confrontation about selling untaxed cigarettes. A cellphone video taken by a friend, Ramsey Orto, shows that the chokehold lasted for 15 seconds, and Garner is heard saying, “I can’t breathe” multiple times. (NYPD policy prohibits use of the chokehold restraint.) You can view the cellphone video by clicking here.

In December 2014, a grand jury voted not to charge NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo with Garner’s death. Departmental and federal investigations are ongoing, however.

Taisha Allen, a witness who testified before the grand jury, said she was misquoted in the original police report. She said that she saw a chokehold, but the report quotes her only as saying that “two officers each took Mr. Garner by the arms and put him on the ground.”

Medical examiners who performed the autopsy said they were not told about the chokehold, and they found no noticeable marks around Garner’s neck. But internal examination found two signs of choking: strap muscle hemorrhages in Garner’s neck and petechial hemorrhages in his eyes. No drugs or alcohol were found in his system.