Investigators Replaced in Eric Garner Death Case

The Justice Department has replaced its team investigating the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man killed by police in Staten Island in 2014, The New York Times reports. Garner’s death was captured on video as NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in a chokehold, suffocated him—and touched off weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality. The federal investigation into Garner’s death has been at a standstill, after prosecutors and the Justice Department sparred over whether to press charges against the NYPD officers involved. The Justice Department’s replacement of its investigators and lawyers is unconventional, and could signal new movement in the case. Pantaleo previously avoided indictment by a New York state jury in 2014, but could still face federal civil-rights charges.