Behind the Video of Eric Garner's Deadly Confrontation With New York Police

On 17 July 2014, Ramsey Orta was talking to his friend Eric Garner in New York, USA, about where to eat dinner—Friday’s, maybe, or Applebee’s. They eventually decided on Buffalo Wild Wings, but Garner never made it. Soon, a fight broke out nearby, Orta says, and after Garner helped break it up, New York Police Department (NYPD) officers on the scene accused Garner of selling untaxed cigarettes and attempted to arrest him. Garner, a 43-year-old father of six who was unarmed at the time, argued with the officers about why he was being targeted. To corral Garner, one officer used what appeared to be a chokehold, a technique banned by the NYPD. Several others helped drag him to the ground. Garner, who had a history of health problems, died soon after. The video includes an interview with Orta, who filmed the incident on Staten Island.