Eric Garner death: Fresh protests across US cities

Protests have been held for a second night over the death of a black man held in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.

Thousands of people took to the streets in New York and other US cities, disrupting traffic and holding sit-ins.

The protests began on Wednesday, after a grand jury decided not to press charges over the death of Eric Garner.

Civil rights activists are pinning their hopes on a federal investigation into the case.

The city's medical examiner's office found in the summer that Mr Garner's death was caused by "the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police".

Police unions and Mr Pantaleo's lawyer, Stuart London, have said he used an accepted takedown manoeuvre on Mr Garner, rather than a chokehold, which is banned under New York City police regulations.

Mr Pantaleo testified to having heard Mr Garner say "I can't breathe" but said he had believed that once he got him down on the ground and put him on his side, he would be revived by paramedics, according to Mr London.

Mr Pantaleo also testified that he had tried in vain to talk Mr Garner into complying with police instructions - something not seen on the video. "Let's make this easy, you've been through this before," the police officer is said to have told Mr Garner

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