A mourner wipes her eyes as Esaw Garner, wife of Eric Garner, right, speaks alongside Rev. Al Sharpton, left, during a service at the Mount Sinai Center for Community Enrichment for Eric Garner, Saturday, July 19, 2014, in the Staten Island borough of New
A white police office's chokehold on a black New York City man last month caused his death, the medical examiner announced on Friday, ruling it a homicide.
The officer used the chokehold on Eric Garner during his arrest last month for selling untaxed, loose cigarettes
Garner, 43, was killed by "the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police," said medical examiner spokeswoman Julie Bolcer. Asthma, heart disease and obesity were contributing factors, she said.
Garner's videotaped confrontation with police has caused widespread outcry and calls by Rev. Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights activist, for federal prosecution. Sharpton believes chokeholds are used disproportionately on minorities.
Chokeholds are prohibited by the New York Police Department. The case is being investigated by local prosecutors.
The NYPD didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the medical examiner's ruling. The officer who put Garner in the chokehold was stripped of his gun and badge pending the investigation, and another was placed on desk duty. Two paramedics and two Emergency Medical Technicians were suspended without pay.
Police Commissioner William Bratton has said the officer appeared to have placed Garner in a chokehold and has ordered a top-to-bottom redesigning of use-of-force training in the NYPD.