NEW YORK (AP) – Federal authorities are still grappling with whether to prosecute an New York police officer two years after the videotaped chokehold death of Eric Garner.
The legal limbo is playing out on the watch of Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The former U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn has come under pressure from activists and Garner’s family to prosecute Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
Questioned by Congress last week, Lynch said the Garner investigation remains open. She gave no indication when a decision will be announced.
A resolution either way has been hampered by a behind-the-scenes disagreement over the direction of the federal investigation of Garner’s death on Staten Island on July 17, 2014, according to two people with inside knowledge.
Both people weren’t authorized to discuss the decision-making process and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Tucker reported from Washington.