The New York-based agents have come together in recent weeks following a December grand jury decision to not indict the police officer, the sources told CNN.
The goal is a “fresh look” into the July death of Eric Garner at the hands of police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, in a case that led to anti-police demonstrations throughout the nation, a senior law enforcement official said.
The veteran investigators include an agent from the white-collar crime division who specializes in long-term criminal investigations, a supervisor in the public corruption unit and an agent who investigated the infamous 1997 police torture case involving Haitian immigrant Abner Louima, the source said
The investigation, which began in earnest after a grand jury declined to indict the officer, will look at everything from the actions of the responding officers and paramedics on the Staten Island street where Garner died to the role NYPD training may have played in the death, according to the source. The New York City Police Department prohibits chokeholds.
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After the death, Pantaleo was put on modified assignment and stripped of his badge and gun amid the investigation, and the NYPD commissioner ordered an extensive review of training procedures.
Two lawsuits have previously been filed against Pantaleo. The plaintiffs in both suits allege false arrest, unlawful imprisonment, civil rights violations and other charges.
One suit from 2013 was dismissed in January 2014, while the second, from February 2014, remains open.
