NYPD Internal Memo Says Chokehold Victim Was Not 'In Great Distress'

huffingtonpost.com An internal NYPD report obtained by the New York Daily News that was prepared soon after the death of Eric Garner -- the Staten Island man who died of an apparent chokehold while under arrest last week -- states he never appeared to be in "great distress" and fails to mention the chokehold at all. One officer, Sgt. Kizzy Adonis, said Garner's condition "did not seem serious and that he did not appear to get worse.” The memo's details fly in direct contrast with video recordings of the incident clearly showing Garner shouting at the arresting officers, "I can't breathe! Get off of me!" multiple times. WARNING: This video may be disturbing to some. Police say Garner, a 43-year-old father of six, was suspected of selling illegal cigarettes at the time. But bystanders have come forth saying Garner never had any cigarettes on him , and that he had just emerged from breaking up a neighborhood fight. Garner had reportedly been arrested at least 30 times, mainly for selling untaxed cigarettes. In one handwritten complaint against the NYPD, Garner wrote police officers performed a cavity search on the street in which they were "digging his fingers in my rectum in the middle of the street" while people were passing on the street. to read more: huffingtonpost.com