Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who was stripped of his gun and shield after he put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold almost exactly one year ago, wants to return to his old job.
Pantaleo is under 24-hour police protection due to the reported amount of death threats he receives. Although a Staten Island grand jury voted not to indict Pantaleo last year, a Department of Justice investigation into Garner's death is still underway.
His lawyer, Stuart London, told the New York Daily News that hasn't discouraged Pantaleo. "The unbelievable part is this has not sourced him one bit on doing law enforcement, said London. "It hasn't diminished his desire to help the citizens of this city."
London also told the Daily News that he does not believe the DOJ investigation will result in any charges. "They have to prove my client had a specific intent to deprive Eric Garner of a federally protected constitutional right," he said. "Based on all the pertinent information I have, they don't reach that threshold in this case."
Pantaleo had previously been involved in two other civil rights lawsuits, both of which were settled.
[via New York Daily News]
