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'No winners' in Eric Garner case following officer's firing, says Fox Nation host David Webb
Published August 20, 2019
Following the firing of Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City police officer accused in the 2014 death of Eric Garner, host of Fox Nation's "Reality Check" David Webb said there are "no winners" in the case, and claimed the termination has hurt law enforcement morale.
"There are no winners here. As a matter of fact, the biggest loser -- and I think this is a point being ignored in this story -- is what happens afterwards, the net effect," he said on "Fox & Friends."
"You've got guys who are going to do their 20 [years] and get out. And NYPD may run into an issue with the broken trust with the mayor's office [and] with the leadership."
Pantaleo approached Garner in 2014 and attempted to arrest him for selling illegal loose cigarettes on a New York City street. He initiated a chokehold, which is banned under police policy. The medical examiner later said Garner's cause of death was asthma brought about by the chokehold. The Department of Justice's civil rights division declined to seek federal charges against Pantaleo.
Webb said New York law enforcement is now on edge and will start making decisions based on the possible political consequences, instead of the best interests of the people.
NYPD OFFICER ACCUSED IN ERIC GARNER'S DEATH HAS BEEN FIRED, COMMISSIONER SAYS
"We've got to be very careful of the leadership decisions and its effect," he said. "These guys are concerned. And they're going to protect their careers."
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Webb's fellow panelist and Fox News political analyst Gregg Jarrett also weighed in on the issue and said Pantaleo is lucky he isn't in prison for manslaughter.
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"As a defense attorney I look at the facts... and I say to myself, 'My goodness, you're lucky you weren't indicted for manslaughter,'" he said. "It was the appropriate decision to terminate him because he violated NYPD policy."
"I have great respect for police," Jarrett added. "That doesn't mean that they're infallible. They do make mistakes."
Fox News' Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Jake Gibson contributed to this report
https://www.foxnews.com/media/nypd-eric-garner-chokehold