NYPD suspends Daniel Pantaleo after judge recommends firing over Eric Garner's death

Daniel Pantaleo has been suspended by the New York Police Department following a departmental judge recommending he be fired over the death of Eric Garner.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado made this recommendation on Friday, with the NYPD subsequently saying it had suspended Pantaleo as is standard practice in cases such as these in which termination is recommended, reports The Associated Press.

Pantaleo has been accused of using a chokehold, which is banned by the NYPD, when he stopped Garner in July 2014 for allegedly selling cigarettes, leading to Garner's death. Video captured at the time showed Garner saying "I can't breathe," and a medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide, saying that he had an asthma attack that was triggered by the use of a chokehold, The New York Times reports. Pantaleo was previously placed on desk duty, but the Justice Department recently announced he would not face federal charges, with the statute of limitations having now expired.

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The judge on Friday decided that Pantaleo did use a chokehold but not that he restricted Garner's breathing intentionally, reports NPR.

Now, the final decision on whether Pantaleo is to be terminated is up to New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill, reports The New York Times. A spokesperson for the NYPD said not to expect a decision until later in the month.