Viewed millions of times, Orta’s clip shows Daniel Pantaleo, a white officer, gripping his arms around Garner’s neck in a chokehold.
Garner, a black American, was 43 years old at the time, and an asthmatic.
“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe,” Garner said, as he was being pinned to the ground and asphyxiated.
They were his last words.
Garner, a father of six, was selling loose cigarettes in Staten Island, New York, when officers tackled him. His case was ruled as a homicide, meaning that his death was caused by human beings, but Pantaleo was not indicted. In 2015, Garner’s family reached a $5.9m settlement with the city of New York.
Orta’s recording of the killing has been praised by many for bringing to light police brutality, and setting off what has been described as a citizen journalism trend exposing injustices.
But ever since releasing the footage of Garner’s killing, Orta, 25, says he has become the target of police retaliation.