Four Emergency Medics Suspended Following Death Of Asthmatic Man In NYPD Custody

An amateur video of the man's death appears to show how the first responders neglected to perform routine procedures to help the dying patient. The four emergency workers will not be going on ambulance runs until the FDNY completes an investigation.

Four first responders were suspended on Monday after allegations they failed to provide adequate care to Eric Garner, a Staten Island resident whose death while in police custody was caught on video last week, the New York Post reported.

The first responders, all of whom work for Richmond University Hospital, will not go on any ambulance runs until a Fire Department investigation into Garner's death is complete, city officials told NBC.

R.I.P. Eric Garner. Innocent father choked to death by NYPD on July 17. #RETWEET for respect & spreading his story.

Police officers attempted to arrest Garner last week in Staten Island on suspicion that he was selling untaxed cigarettes, or "loosies." Garner resisted, claiming that he had done nothing wrong. The officers then subdued him violently, with one of them, Daniel Pantaleo, placing Garner on a chokehold. Garner, 43-years-old, stopped breathing and died.

A bystander caught the botched arrest on video. The short clip shows Garner, who reportedly suffered from asthma and a variety of other physical ailments, repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe."

NYPD procedures prohibit the use of chokeholds, which can be fatal. Pantaleo has been stripped of his gun and badge and placed in "desk duty" while the department investigates his involvement in Garner's death.

A second video of the incident, posted Saturday, shows the aftermath of the arrest. EMS workers and police do not appear to administer any medical aid to Garner as he lies on the ground.

View this video on YouTube

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