Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, 29, was suspended in mid-July following the death of Eric Garner. He issued a statement Wednesday after it was announced that a Staten Island grand jury has declined to indict the officer.
“I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” Pantaleo said in the statement. “It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”